“Once again, Albany negotiations have fallen short of students’ best interests. While the Governor has moved in the right direction by increasing teacher accountability and strengthening tenure requirements, the State’s education policies don’t go far enough to ensure that all students have a great teacher.

“Unfortunately, the Governor and legislators have left in place the inexcusable requirement to dismiss high-performing teachers in times of budget shortfall, to the benefit of those who simply have spent more time in the classroom. Similarly, the State’s bill does not adequately challenge the lengthy and bureaucratic process that enables ineffective and harmful teachers to remain in classrooms, disproportionately serving poor students.

“Decades of political jockeying and insufficient progress have left New York parents with little option but to go to the courts, where a Staten Island judge recently ruled to advance their case. Our kids can’t wait any longer for politicians to make the bold changes that students deserve.”

— Campbell Brown, Founder of Partnership for Educational Justice