Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his recent State of the State address said that excellent teachers should be paid up to $20,000 a year more and be used to mentor new teachers. No argument here. Excellence should always be rewarded, encouraged and used as a model for others in the field.
I have news for the self-appointed advocate for the state's schoolchildren: It will not work.
There's a history here with which he should be very familiar. His father, Gov. Mario Cuomo, tried this in 1986, and the program went down in flames.
As reported in The New York Times on April 9, 1991:
"Gov. Mario M. Cuomo is pressing to eliminate a program he helped enact five years ago to bolster the quality and prestige of teachers by supplementing their salaries... The program, known as Excellence in Teaching, provided state funds to supplement salary levels, especially for starting teachers, above those negotiated in regular collective bargaining. It was proposed by Mr. Cuomo in 1986, a state election year, and approved by the State Legislature with the strong backing of the teachers' unions. The program was opposed by local school boards that wanted authority over whether to spend the state aid on teachers' salaries or pencils or computers. Last year, Excellence in Teaching funneled $162 million into teacher salaries. But with the state facing a $6 billion budget gap, the Governor has proposed cutting it, and legislative aides say the Legislature may not be able to save it."
Cuomo II is proposing a program similar to the one that failed on Cuomo I's watch. New York spent $162 million and did not improve a thing.
Stop throwing money at education where it is not needed. Teacher improvement is not about money. It is not about trying to embarrass teachers with test scores printed in the media.
Maybe the governor and his supporters should visit a few schools. Teachers can tell him what they need, and they will tell it for free.
Good teaching is driven by commitment and dedication. It is not always about money.
John Metallo is a retired teacher and school administrator.