Monday, January 31, 2011

Bloomberg Threatens Cuomo: Kill Teacher Seniority, Or Else!


NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg demanded that Gov. Andrew Cuomo use his upcoming state budget to reverse teacher seniority rules. Bloomberg hysterically claimed that current state law could force him to fire all 5,000 teachers hired in the past five years. “If the budget contains education cuts. . . it must also take merit into account.”
Bloomberg and Cuomo Duke It Out (Image by Bruce Turner)

Bloomberg cynically made the demands in front of a mostly African American crowd at the Christian Cultural Center in Flatlands, Brooklyn, telling them that the budget cuts would mostly affect low income communities, where higher percentages of new teachers work. Of course, if Bloomberg really cared about low income kids, he’d donate some of his billions, no strings attached, to make up for any budget shortfall.

Cuomo’s office said that seniority is not a fiscal issue and not one he plans to touch during budget planning, though he is not opposed to overhauling the seniority system once he is done slashing of social programs (especially if it will help him get to higher office).

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