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Monday, February 18, 2013

NYC Educator: The Law is the Law. Except When Governor Cuomo Doesn't Like It

NYC Educator: The Law is the Law. Except When Governor Cuomo Doesn't Like It:


The Law is the Law. Except When Governor Cuomo Doesn't Like It

If you've been following the comments on this blog and others, a frequent justification for the collaboration-oriented policies of UFT leadership is, "It's the law." For example, we have to give up our week off. It's the law. Or, more to the point, we have to accept teachers being rated and fired based on junk science. It's the law.

When you read these things, you'd think that UFT leadership had no part in composing the law, and you'd be wrong. The UFT was part and parcel of the junk science mandate, and they rationalize it by saying it's only 20, 25, or 40% junk science, and that other states have a higher percentage of junk science. Therefore, since our law mandates a lower percentage of junk science, it's a better law and we have won a great victory. Of course, the inevitable fired teachers will disagree, but I suppose the defense could cry, "Were it not for us, 20% more of you may have been fired."

Here's the thing, though--when you hear these voices discuss the