State Ed. Dept. Says OK to Buffalo Teacher Evaluations | News

BUFFALO, NY --  New York State Education Commissioner John King has given a passing grade to what he calls the "latest" version of the teacher evaluation plan worked out between the Buffalo School District and the teachers' union.

  This could resolve the long standing dispute between the state education department and the Buffalo Teachers Federation which at one point threatened to sue the department. 

   Buffalo Interim School Superintendent Amber Dixon told reporters she is optimistic that BTF President Phil Rumore will now sign the agreement which was negotiated with the help of a larger group of teachers. The agreement should now free up more than $5 Million dollars in state funding for six district schools under the School Improvement Grant (SIG) program.

   Dixon says the district was able to tap into other funding to avoid the layoffs of teachers and administrators at the affected schools for the remainder of this school year.  She had previously mentioned those layoffs could occur if the funding had not been available.