Judge blocks Cuomo from withholding aid to city schools
A state supreme court judge ruled this week that the state cannot withhold $260 million in aid from the city’s Department of Education as punishment for the city’s failure to finalize a teacher evaluation plan, the New York Times reported.
The preliminary injunction comes after city school parents filed a lawsuit this month arguing that the loss of funds would only hurt students.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would withhold the money after the Bloomberg administration and the teachers’ union failed to reach an agreement on a teacher evaluation system by Jan. 17. Though the governor’s decision was made to motivate the city and the union to meet the deadline, Judge Manuel Mendez agreed with the parents, saying innocent children who need the money could be hurt by the cuts.
The city and the union have blamed each other for the delay to reach agreement.
Cuomo said earlier this week that the state Education Department would impose an evaluation system on city schools if the two sides cannot reach a deal by June 1.
