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State lawmakers’ recent failure to move on new charter school legislation all but ensures that New York will
miss out on up to $700 million in federal school funding at a time when the State and its schools need that
money badly. Taxpayers can thank the teachers’ unions, who killed the legislation, when they line up to get
their regular salary and benefit increases this year.
Teachers’ unions see charter schools as a threat. Charter schools promote the use of merit pay, where
teacher salary increases and tenure are less automatic and more tied to performance. Teachers in charter
schools are also not always unionized. So, unions have spent record amounts of money, essentially buying
state lawmakers off to thwart the charter school movement. In 2008, the teachers’ lobby was the number-one
spender in Albany, doling out over $4 million to sway legislators. This was twice the amount they spent the
previous year.
The unions’ stranglehold on Albany is nothing new. Earlier lobbying led to laws giving them overly-generous,
unsustainable pension plans that are now driving state deficits and local property tax hikes. Yet, the unions
have PTAs completely sold on the belief that they are really out for the best interests of the children, rather
than lining their own pockets. In this instance, for example, they shamelessly justified their actions with
trumped-up concerns about charter schools’ ability to adequately serve all children. In reality, the unions were
so determined to fight off the charter school threat that they were even willing to deprive the schools and kids
of this much-needed federal money.
So, as school districts around the state start preparing budgets for the 2010-2011 school year, many will
threaten cuts to programs unless they get increases in property taxes. They’ll blame it on state funding cuts
to control the deficit when it’s really due to this missed opportunity for federal dollars caused by selfish
teachers’ unions. But, then, unions don’t really care whether school budgets are cut or taxes are raised to
prevent such cuts. They’ll still get their regular salary and benefits increases anyway thanks to laws they
pushed through in Albany and liberal contractual agreements made by sympathetic school administrators.
miss out on up to $700 million in federal school funding at a time when the State and its schools need that
money badly. Taxpayers can thank the teachers’ unions, who killed the legislation, when they line up to get
their regular salary and benefit increases this year.
Teachers’ unions see charter schools as a threat. Charter schools promote the use of merit pay, where
teacher salary increases and tenure are less automatic and more tied to performance. Teachers in charter
schools are also not always unionized. So, unions have spent record amounts of money, essentially buying
state lawmakers off to thwart the charter school movement. In 2008, the teachers’ lobby was the number-one
spender in Albany, doling out over $4 million to sway legislators. This was twice the amount they spent the
previous year.
The unions’ stranglehold on Albany is nothing new. Earlier lobbying led to laws giving them overly-generous,
unsustainable pension plans that are now driving state deficits and local property tax hikes. Yet, the unions
have PTAs completely sold on the belief that they are really out for the best interests of the children, rather
than lining their own pockets. In this instance, for example, they shamelessly justified their actions with
trumped-up concerns about charter schools’ ability to adequately serve all children. In reality, the unions were
so determined to fight off the charter school threat that they were even willing to deprive the schools and kids
of this much-needed federal money.
So, as school districts around the state start preparing budgets for the 2010-2011 school year, many will
threaten cuts to programs unless they get increases in property taxes. They’ll blame it on state funding cuts
to control the deficit when it’s really due to this missed opportunity for federal dollars caused by selfish
teachers’ unions. But, then, unions don’t really care whether school budgets are cut or taxes are raised to
prevent such cuts. They’ll still get their regular salary and benefits increases anyway thanks to laws they
pushed through in Albany and liberal contractual agreements made by sympathetic school administrators.
We strive to provide correct and accurate information. If you see any errors in our data, please send a note with corrections and
supporting documentation as needed to CARE@eastchestereducation.org .
supporting documentation as needed to CARE@eastchestereducation.org .