Tagged: phil rumore

Governor Cuomo and the State Education Department are saying a side deal between the Buffalo school district and the Buffalo Teachers Federation regarding teacher evaluations is illegal and should be blocked. The union is going to court to uphold the deal.

The Buffalo School District plans to scrap its memorandum of understanding on teacher evaluations. In a written statement, Superintendent Dr. Pamela Brown says the State Education Department determined the MOU between the district and the Buffalo Teachers Federation is void.

After a lengthy process, Buffalo teachers voted Wednesday night to approve the city district's new teacher evaluation plan.

With Buffalo developer Carl Paladino officially in the race for the Buffalo Board of Education, the war of words has started between the former gubernatorial candidate and Buffalo Teachers Federation President Phil Rumore. 

Buffalo teachers still have not voted on the proposed evaluation system of their work and it may be a few weeks before there is a decision.

The long struggle over evaluating teachers in Buffalo may be over for this year, with Albany approving the plan bargained between city schools and the Buffalo Teachers Federation.

Union and district officials have come to an agreement on an evaluation plan for Buffalo school teachers.

The leader of the Buffalo's teachers union says there are some flaws in school security at some public schools in the city.  Buffalo Teachers Federation president Phil Rumore has learned that some classroom doors don't lock.

An 18-year-old student was arrested and charged Thursday with making a terrorist threat against a Buffalo public high school.

State Supreme Court Justice Gerald Whelan today upheld an arbitrator's decision that the involuntary transfer of 54 teachers by the Buffalo Public School system was in violation of the district's contract with the Buffalo Teachers' Federation union.

The transfers were initially enacted as part of a turnaround plan which the school board deemed the only feasible way to improve student performances at three low-performing city schools: Futures Academy, Drew Science Magnet School, and Bilingual Center 33. 

The long and tangled fight over millions of dollars to help bail out Buffalo's six worst-performing schools may be nearing a resolution.

State Education Commissioner John King Wednesday said he will approve the latest deal between the Buffalo Teachers Federations and the school district when it is formally signed by interim Schools Superintendent Amber Dixon and BTF President Phil Rumore.

A series of prior deals was rejected by Albany or by union members.  The sides have struggled for months over finding a plan that is acceptable to all interests. 

The state Education Department may want BTF President Phil Rumore's signature on a new teacher evaluation plan by the end of the day, but it is not likely to get it.

Rumore shared that with WBFO and AM 970's Mark Leitner yesterday.

Protesting parents met with the union leader last night to hear his rationale.

Rumore told the group that he could not sign the agreement without the approval of union membership.

State education officials appear ready to approve a new teacher evaluation system for Buffalo schools, but only if it receives the signed approval of BTF President Phil Rumore.

In a written statement, Buffalo Schools Interim Superintendent Amber Dixon said Rumore's signature is needed on the agreement by next Tuesday.

Approval would release $5.6 million in state funding to help improve the city's low-achieving schools.

Buffalo school officials and teachers union leaders have met a deadline by sending to Albany, at the 11th hour, a memorandum of understanding concerning teacher evaluations.

Student absenteeism has been a major bone of contention in talks between the two sides.  Buffalo can secure several million additional state education dollars, but the district and the union must agree on a rigorous teacher evaluation system whether or not students show up for class. 

The Buffalo School Board could be voting soon on laying off dozens of employees after leaders of the teacher's union approved keeping an attendance clause in the district's teacher evaluation agreement.

Albany insists chronically absent students must count.  The dispute is holding up $9 million in funding for six of Buffalo's low-achieving schools.