Last night's fireworks over New York's East River were, no doubt, spectacular but they may have been overshadowed in some parts of the city by a different fury of fireworks--those coming from the Department of Education's office.
Last Friday, an arbitrator ruled against the city's plans to reform 24 low-performing schools after judging them to be violating collective bargaining agreements. The DOE's move to close schools and open them with a 50 percent change in staff was a clear political maneuver to keep SIG money after negotiations with the union over teacher evaluations fell through. Because of their inability to come to an agreement, New York seems sure to lose access to millions of dollars. It's unfortunate but, at this point, the political moves from both sides have created a situation in which no one wins. Happy, er, Co-dependence Day...?
Katie Moyer
Katie Moyer