The Democrat's internecine battle over education reform is ratcheting up in New York, as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo continue to spar over how to reform the city's failing schools.
Cuomo is an outspoken advocate of teacher accountability and charter schools, as well as a harsh critic of teacher unions. De Blasio stands on the opposite side of the most hot-button education reform efforts.
De Blasio is not amused by Cuomo's plan to takeover nearly 100 failing NYC public schools, citing his own radical efforts to reform the schools and asserting that as mayor, he is accountable for results, Chalkbeat New York reported.
"The mayors remarks follow Gov. Andrew Cuomos education-focused state budget proposal last month," Chalkbeat writes, "which included a plan to appoint nonprofit groups, school-turnaround experts, or other school districts to oversee schools that have fallen on the states lowest performing list for three years. Under the proposed law, those 'receivers' could restructure the low-ranked schools, overhaul their curriculums, and override labor agreements in order to fire 'underperforming' teachers and administrators."
The mayor vs. governor cage fight takes place against a backdrop of public agitation on school reform, with well-funded grassroots groups backing charters and opposing teacher unions.
In February, the parent activist group Families for Excellent Schools, which has operations in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts, called on Cuomo and the Legislature to takeover 178 failing schools this fall, 91 of which were in New York City.
Earlier this month, thousands of pro-charter protestors gathered at the state capitol in Albany, with kids and parents bused in from all over the state. Organizers claimed that 13,000 were in the crowd, and singer Ashanti performed.
"In New York state, charter supporters have eclipsed the unions when it comes to money spent on lobbying efforts. They've also given generously to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who has vowed to bust up the 'monopoly' of public education," David Klepper noted for the Associated Press.
These days its hard to tell who is David and who is Goliath. The Lockport Union-Sun & Journal reports that "Families for Excellent Schools, a group that supports charters, reported more than $9 million in lobbying expenses in 2014. New York State United Teachers reported less than $4 million."
Not surprisingly, FES is firmly backing the governor's effort to take over the schools.
"With hundreds of failing schools statewide, and cities like New York City simply unwilling to take action, parents are calling on state leaders to put these schools into receivership immediately," FES said in a press release. "A receivership model would free chronically failing schools from bureaucratic obstacles and place them under the stewardship of proven operators. If the schools are unable to improve, they will close."
Cuomo is an outspoken advocate of teacher accountability and charter schools, as well as a harsh critic of teacher unions. De Blasio stands on the opposite side of the most hot-button education reform efforts.
De Blasio is not amused by Cuomo's plan to takeover nearly 100 failing NYC public schools, citing his own radical efforts to reform the schools and asserting that as mayor, he is accountable for results, Chalkbeat New York reported.
"The mayors remarks follow Gov. Andrew Cuomos education-focused state budget proposal last month," Chalkbeat writes, "which included a plan to appoint nonprofit groups, school-turnaround experts, or other school districts to oversee schools that have fallen on the states lowest performing list for three years. Under the proposed law, those 'receivers' could restructure the low-ranked schools, overhaul their curriculums, and override labor agreements in order to fire 'underperforming' teachers and administrators."
The mayor vs. governor cage fight takes place against a backdrop of public agitation on school reform, with well-funded grassroots groups backing charters and opposing teacher unions.
In February, the parent activist group Families for Excellent Schools, which has operations in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts, called on Cuomo and the Legislature to takeover 178 failing schools this fall, 91 of which were in New York City.
Earlier this month, thousands of pro-charter protestors gathered at the state capitol in Albany, with kids and parents bused in from all over the state. Organizers claimed that 13,000 were in the crowd, and singer Ashanti performed.
"In New York state, charter supporters have eclipsed the unions when it comes to money spent on lobbying efforts. They've also given generously to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who has vowed to bust up the 'monopoly' of public education," David Klepper noted for the Associated Press.
These days its hard to tell who is David and who is Goliath. The Lockport Union-Sun & Journal reports that "Families for Excellent Schools, a group that supports charters, reported more than $9 million in lobbying expenses in 2014. New York State United Teachers reported less than $4 million."
Not surprisingly, FES is firmly backing the governor's effort to take over the schools.
"With hundreds of failing schools statewide, and cities like New York City simply unwilling to take action, parents are calling on state leaders to put these schools into receivership immediately," FES said in a press release. "A receivership model would free chronically failing schools from bureaucratic obstacles and place them under the stewardship of proven operators. If the schools are unable to improve, they will close."
