February 12, 2015
Dear____________________________________________________________
As an educator in a public school, I want to express my opposition to the Governor’s proposals for public education. These proposals reflect a “bigfoot” approach – an attempt to centralize power over public education in Albany and strip away local control from parents and their local, democratically elected school boards.
Governor Cuomo’s billionaire agenda is the wrong conversation for 2015. It’s time for serious discussions about the real issues: the devastating impact of poverty on student achievement, inequities in how state aid is distributed, and the chronic underfunding of public education. The reality is that half of the state’s school districts have less state aid today than they did in 2008. With a $5.5 billion surplus, this is the year to address funding shortfalls and correct glaring inequities. I am asking you to approve a $2.2 billion state aid increase to end the GAP Elimination Adjustment. I also believe that true improvements can be made to public education by investing in statewide universal pre-kindergarten and reducing class size.
Perhaps the most disturbing “reform” proposed by Governor Cuomo is his desire to double the weight of standardized tests in teacher evaluations. This will unfairly hold teachers accountable for factors that are beyond their control. The Governor pushed for a rush implementation of the new Common Core Standards, including testing students on the new standards before teachers were given a curriculum or the proper support for teaching the CCSS. His added emphasis on testing will just mean more teaching to the test. Furthermore, his proposal to give $20,000 bonuses to “high preforming” teachers encourages a competitive environment in which teachers no longer collaborate on best practices.
Governor Cuomo’s proposed reforms are just another step in his continual push to dismantle public schools in favor of privately run charters. As your constituent, I urge you to vote NO on these reforms and give students and teachers what they really need: fair funding that ensures every child has a quality education!
Thank you for your time and consideration.