Fresh from his gambling-happy State of the State address Governor Cuomo today introduced his $132.5 billion 2012 budget and while it is less agressive than last year's slice and dice budget it still manages to be tough on unions. Teacher evaluations sure look like the future in New York State!
As part of his promise to return funds cut last year to education Cuomo is proposing that additional education monies be made available only to school districts that approve teacher evaluation systems (kind of like how the federal government forced states to raise the drinking age to 21 by threatening to withhold highway funds). But school districts don't have to start evaluations up RIGHT NOW, they have until January 2013 before their funding is threatened. Lots of time for the unions to make a fuss.
Meanwhile, despite bringing the increases he promised in education and healthcare spending Cuomo and his team seem to have been able to keep the budget pretty flat thanks to nips and tucks here and there doing things like squeezing "hundreds of millions of dollars from spending by barring new hiring, combining some offices and agencies, and consolidating procurement, information technology services and office space." But hey! In his team's words, "No new taxes, fees or gimmicks!"
So far the plan has at least one big fan in Mayor Bloomberg, who quickly put out a release saying it "demonstrates a bold commitment to tackle some of the toughest challenges facing our great state. He has my strong support." And he'll need it, considering what a knock-down fight last year's budget was. Cuomo has through the end of March to push his latest through the State Legislature before the April 1 start of the 2012 fiscal year. Finally, if that's your sort of thing, you can read over the plan right here.
