Educators from around Schoharie County took Governor Andrew Cuomo to task Thursday night, hammering him on the twin themes of funding and teacher evaluations.
Nearly 200 teachers, administrators, parents and students packed the Save Our Schools rally to support speakers blasting the Governor's policies.
Held at the Best Western in Cobleskill, the rally was one of many organized statewide by New York State United Teachers. All are protesting Governor Cuomo's proposed meager state aid to schools and tougher evaluations of teachers.
The rallies stem from the Governor's late January message in which he proposed a slight increase in aid--but only if the legislature approves new policies on disciplining teachers, tenure reform and evaluating teachers.
If the legislature doesn't agree, aid that schools depend on heavily won't rise for two years.
Dawn Townsend, president of the Cobleskill-Richmondville Teachers Association and organizer of Thursday's rally, set the tone early.
"Our public schools are not for sale," Ms. Townsend said.


Money...

The factor most affecting state aid to schools is the Gap Elimination Adjustment, which Albany instituted in 2010-11. The GEA withholds aid to schools in order to close the state's budget gap.
In four years, Schoharie County schools have lost $28 million to the GEA, ranging from Jefferson's $1.1 million to Cobleskill-Richmondville's $13.2 million, C-R board President Bruce Tryon told the crowd.
"My friends, that's an obscene amount of money," Mr. Tryon said.
Other speakers gave perspective to the loss in aid. Amanda Hantho has four children, spread over 10 years, in C-R schools.
One of her children has no field trips, another is in a larger-than-usual class, the third has no programs for gifted students and the eldest has limited choices in high school.
"There's not enough choice, not enough teachers. Give back the money we're due and stop stealing from our kids," Ms. Hantho said, referring to the Governor.
Administrators told a similar story. C-R High School Principal Melissa Ausfeld listed many offerings the school had when she arrived 10 years ago.
"Ten yeas later, we've lost programs, lost choices, lost opportunities, lost experience and lost staff," Ms. Ausfeld said. "And we're required to do more with less."
Schoharie interim Superintendent Kathryn Gertbino said her district has lost teachers in art, social studies, science, French and in elementary school.
"Gone, gone, gone," she said.
Ms. Gerbino also talked about her poor upbringing and how education made a difference.
"The parth out of poverty and ignorance won't be available," she said.


Teachers...

Several speakers emphasized that teacher evaluations, based heavily on test scores, are unfair.
Terry Burton, a Middleburgh teacher and Schoharie school board member, said new tests were unfamiliar to students, and therefore many didn't do well. The faulty assessment, then, indicates the teacher is not doing his job.
C-R Superintendent Carl Mummenthey agreed, noting the assessments have been rescaled.
"It's like a coach teaching kids to run a seven-minute mile for years and all of a sudden telling them to run a five-minute mile," Mr. Mummenthey said.
Rather than having failing teachers, he added, Schoharie County has many excellent ones, including those who've won state and national awards.
"If the Governor spent a few days in Schoharie County, he'd have an entirely different outlook on education in New York State," Mr. Mummenthey said.
Teachers here are doing a good job, agreed Middleburgh Superintendent Michele Weaver, who said they frequently use their own resources to embellish lessons.
"Our teachers meet the endless challenge to offer more than a basic education," Ms. Weaver said.
"They always rise above, even when they have to do more with less."

What's next...

Governor Cuomo released his budget earlier this year, and last week, the senate and assembly each released their versions.
The senate's proposed budget adds $1.9 millio