After debate, Regents pass teacher-evaluation rules
The state Board of Regents passed a revamped set of rules Wednesday for New York's new system of evaluating teachers, but promised to pen a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers outlining their many concerns.
The Regents, the state's education policymakers, voted 10-6 in favor of the new regulations, which included a new system for some teachers to appeal their ratings and the loosening of an observation requirement for small school districts.
The vote came after significant debate and some nose-holding among the Regents.
Several voted no in protest of the new system, which was required by a state law approved by Cuomo and the Legislature in March and has been derided by teachers unions. Other Regents warned of a possible loss of state money for local schools if the rules were voted down, noting the board was required by the law to approve a set of rules governing the process.
"Quite frankly, I have met with hundreds of people, and all I hear is the joy of teaching is being squeezed out of them as a result of this process," said Regent Judith Johnson, whose district stretches from Poughkeepsie to Westchester County. She voted against the proposal.
The vote Wednesday was of the Regents' P-12 Education and Higher Education committees, with the full board set to vote Thursday. But Thursday's vote is largely a formality: All 17 Regents sit on the two committees.
One Regent, Andrew Brown of the Rochester area, was absent.
The new teacher-evaluation system puts a greater emphasis on how teachers' students fare on the state's standardized exams, including the grade 3-8 tests and Regents exams for high schoolers. The remaining portion of the teacher and principal evaluations is based on observations, both by a school administrator and an "independent" observer -- such as a After debate, Regents pass teacher-evaluation rules: