EdVANTAGE Blog

On Monday, Governor Cuomo revealed a proposal to impose a state cap on superintendent salaries.

It is an attempt to focus debate on the $15 million his administration says the proposal would save, instead of on the damage his $1.5 billion state aid cut would cause for schools and students.

The Albany Times Union published an editorial titled “Gov. Cuomo’s unworthy debate.”

The Journal News serving the Lower Hudson Valley warned, “Superintendent cap won’t improve schools.”

Watertown Daily Times called for “No salary caps.”

Our statement in response to the proposal observed that, “School systems need strong and resourceful leaders as superintendents now more than ever,” and that districts are already finding it hard to get candidates for superintendent positions.

On the evening of the day the Governor made his proposal, the Council’s Executive Director Bob Reidy appeared on the statewide cable news program, Capital Tonight.

Today, Bob was on the statewide public radio program, Capitol Pressroom.

The Governor’s proposal would cap superintendent salaries based on district enrollment.  Salaries superintendents serving districts with enrollments up to 250 students would be capped at $125,000. The cap would rise in $10,000 increments up to a maximum of $175,000 for districts with more than 6,501 students.

The proposal would affect contracts entered into, amended or extended after the bill becomes law, if it does.

The bill is unclear on what should happen if a district’s enrollment changes enough to move it from one cap size to another.

The bill also limits superintendent benefits to those available to state management/confidential employees. 

Superintendents would not be able to receive compensation for accrued vacation or sick leave or use accrued sick leave to pay health costs in retirement in a manner which differed from that provided to state M/C employees.  In many cases, superintendents would be allowed fewer vacation and sick leave days than more junior school employees.

If a district chose to pay the insurance benefit costs (health, disability, life or other insurance) for superintendents, the amount paid would be included in the total annual salary of the superintendent for purposes of the cap.

The Times-Union also offered this editorial cartoon in response to the Governor’s proposal.

Governor Cuomo faced hard choices in developing his proposed state budget.

Superintendents have been leading their communities in confronting similar painful choices for their schools over the past several years.

In many districts, they have passed up raises or made other concessions to save money for their districts and to set an example, and will again this coming year.

The Governor is attempting to put the state’s finances on a sustainable basis and we respect that.

But his attacks on superintendents are a damaging distraction from the difficult work that must be done, as one columnist has suggested.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Board of Regents is seeking input on possible changes to the state’s requirements for high school graduation.

Changes could take two forms:

1. creating additional requirements with the goal of ensuring that all graduates are ready for college, a career or both; and
2. providing more flexibility in how students may satisfy graduation requirements.

The Regents are conducting a series of regional forums to gather opinions.  They are also conducting an online survey.

The Department leadership has asked that we encourage participation by superintendents  –  and we do.

The outcome of this effort could be enormously consequential for schools and students.

Read the rest of this entry »

Governor Cuomo’s State of the State Address reiterated themes from his campaign and inauguration but did reveal a few more details of his plans.

Read the rest of this entry »

This past week, the State Senate passed legislation necessary to enable the State Education Department to begin sending checks to school districts for the Education Jobs Fund approved by Congress and President Obama in August.

The bill passed the Assembly two weeks ago.  It was proposed by the Governor, so his approval is certain.

Nearly six months into the state fiscal year, other portions of the 2010-11 state budget remain unresolved, however.

Also, during their return to Albany, the Legislature did not act on Governor Paterson’s call for mid-year cuts to close an estimated deficit in the state’s 2010-11 budget. Read the rest of this entry »

Today, State Education Commissioner David Steiner announced the appointment of a panel to review Mayor Bloomberg’s request for a waiver to allow corporate executive Cathleen Black to serve as the New York City Schools Chancellor.

We will not be weighing-in on whether Ms. Black should should get a waiver from the requirement that school district superintendents hold an administrative certificate issued by the State Education Department.

Instead, two of our members will participate formally in that decision. Read the rest of this entry »

As we reported earlier, New York State was chosen as a finalist in the second-chance competition for a share of the federal government’s $4.3 billion Race to the Top competition.

I would have been stunned had New York not made it this far this time.

If there was a surprise in the selections, it is that the U.S. Education Department advanced more than half the states submitting applications to the finalist stage.  Eighteen states and the District of Columbia were chosen.

The federal Department picked all the states which made it to the finals last time but did not win funding (including New York) and five new states.

Since coming up short in phase 1, New York has acted to advance its standing in addressing several of the RTTT priorities:

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Last Friday (July23), the constitutionality of the NYSUT-only “55-25″ retirement incentive was upheld in State Supreme Court.

The group which brought the suit (the Empire State Supervisors and Administrators Association) can appeal the decision.  For reasons which have always eluded me, “Supreme” Court is the lowest of the three tiers in the state court system.

The decision is available here.

The Teachers Retirement System says this about the challenge:

“As of this writing it is not known whether this decision will be appealed. The payment of the unreduced retirement benefit to eligible members who retired pursuant to Chapter 45 will be subject to the final outcome of any appellate process. Please watch the NYSTRS Web site for news of any further developments. Members considering retirement under Chapter 45 may wish to consult with their collective bargaining representative and/or attorney.”

Two reports on the economy — one noting encouraging signs of recovery, another reporting on the fall-off in home values in New York State. Read the rest of this entry »

At 1 p.m. today the U.S. Education Department promises to post on its website a news release announcing first round winners in its $4.35 billion Race to the Top competition.

March 29, 11:40 a.m. — Education Week is reporting that only two states — Delaware and Tennessee — will be named first round winners of race to the Top funds.  Confirmed by the New York Times and Washington Post.

On the bright side, the majority of funding will remain available for the round 2 competition, with applications currently planned to be due on June 1.