EdVANTAGE Blog

Years have sometimes passed without a single bill being voted down on the floor of State Senate or Assembly.  Leader-controlled processes usually ensure that only bills commanding majority support come up for votes by the full chambers.

But after resolving its month long leadership dispute, the State Senate did vote down one bill last week.  It was State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s proposal to allow public employers to reduce the near-term impact of coming cost spikes in contribution rates for the state and local government Employees Retirement System (ERS).

The bill had previously passed the Assembly in a 138 to 2 vote.

E.J. McMahon of the conservative Empire Center for New York State Policy called the vote “a pleasant surprise” for taxpayers and faulted the bill as “well-intentioned but badly designed.”  He also acknowledged, however, that several of the “no” votes “may simply have been thumbing their noses at the comptroller for withholding their pay during the Senate leadership stalemate.”

Mr. McMahon calls for a series of dramatic changes to public pension systems, including limiting the option to borrow and spread out cost surges only to those public employers agreeing to enroll their new hires in a 401-k style defined contribution plan, which he says, “…is the only sure way to permanently stabilize future retirement costs…”

As we have reported previously, the Comptroller’s office has warned that ERS contribution rates could triple by 2015, approaching one-third of payroll costs.

The Council supports giving school districts an optional method of spreading out pension cost increases.  We have also supported creating a less costly “Tier V” pension level for incoming public employees.

Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch announced that the state will attempt to track the performance of teacher education graduates once they begin their teaching careers.  She revealed this plan in a column in this past Sunday’s New York Daily News.

The column may be an attempt to address criticisms of New York State made by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and to strengthen our chances to win a share of the $5 billion federal “Race to the Top” (RT3) Fund that he controls.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Board of Regents is developing a statewide plan for educational technology.  Through another of its on-line surveys, the State Education Department is seeking reactions to the proposed goals and vision to under-lie that plan.

The plan can be reviewed here.

The survey can be completed here through July 31st.

In the aftermath of the Regents action in changing the grades 3 through 8 testing schedule, we’ve received some grumbles about “policy-making through survey.”

The Regents also welcome open-ended written reactions to a series of questions.

If any school district leaders would like to contribute thoughts for a possible Council letter to the Regents on the draft plan, please send me an email message at boblowry@nyscoss.org, or post a comment below.

Earlier in the week, I reported on U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s speech to the National Education Association convention last week.  In it, he challenged the union to reconsider its positions on teacher compensation and evaluation.  That speech was one of a planned series the Secretary has given since taking office.

Generally conservative commentator Chester Finn sums up the cumulative themes in Secretary Duncan’s speeches, saying that “It’s almost as if they were calculated to rile and challenge all of his department’s traditional constituents and stakeholders–and some reformers as well.” Read the rest of this entry »

Governor David Paterson was at the Nassau County BOCES yesterday to announce $2 million in grants from the state’s Local Government Efficiency program.  The largest grant — for $1 million — went to the Nassau BOCES to share purchasing, information technology and telecommunications, out-of-district transportation, and internal auditing.

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi praised the work of local school leaders,

This grant will not only facilitate unprecedented sharing of non-instructional services … it also recognizes the extraordinary cooperation that has gotten us to this point. We commend BOCES, the Nassau Council of School Superintendents and the Nassau Suffolk School Boards Association, and look forward to continuing our work together in finding efficiencies while maintaining educational excellence.

Ronald Friedman, president of the Nassau superintendents’ council was present at the announcement, along with Nassau BOCES Deputy Superintendent Robert Hanna, and Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association Executive Director Lorraine Deller.

Here’s how Newsday reported the event.

The New York Times is reporting that “Local governments in New York State face an unprecedented increase in pension costs that will force them to triple their contributions to the state pension system over the next six years, according to an analysis prepared by the comptroller’s office.”

The study was circulated to Legislative and county leaders last month.  It reports on costs for the State and Local Employees Retirement System (ERS) and the Police and Fire Retirement System.  It does not cover the Teachers Retirement System. Read the rest of this entry »

Speaking at the National Education Association’s nnual convention on July 2nd, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, “challenged the union to reevaluate some of its policies on compensating teachers and offering them job protections,” in the words of the Secretary’s news release.

Education Week reported that, “Delegates applauded Mr. Duncan’s calls for continued federal funding for education, better training for administrators, and for improved teacher-mentoring experiences. But in an indication of the challenges that the federal government will face as it pushes for reforms to compensation and evaluation, they booed and hissed through those parts of Mr. Duncan’s address.”

Here are some excerpts from the Secretary’s speech: Read the rest of this entry »

The State of New Jersey has made a half-year class in economics and personal finance a requirement for high school graduation.

The state joins Utah, Missouri, and Pennsylvania in requiring a semester-long course.  Eighteen other states require personal finance be incorporated into other subjects.

As a public school parent, I can certainly identify required instructional topics I’d drop in favor of expanded and more purposeful instruction in personal finance.