Gov. Cuomo calls for LI school district review

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling for a review of all Long Island school districts, saying the evaluation system – controlled by the local districts – is skewed to favor teachers.

The move comes after a Newsday analysis of teacher evaluations found the teacher evaluations to be skewed.

Some parents who spoke to News 12 say the teacher evaluations are not skewed. They say the problem is with the state-ordered standardized tests that students are taking.

“Our teachers do a really good job with our children,” said Pam Verity, of Commack. “Cuomo has a skewed evaluation and he wants to make it even worse for our teachers.”

The Brentwood Teachers Association, the largest teacher's union on Long Island, says in no way are the teacher evaluations skewed toward the teachers.

“It is the governor’s attempt to use smoke and mirrors rhetoric to grab a headline to, once again, turn the community against the very teachers that are educating their kids,” said Kevin Coyne, of the union.

The governor's office and the state Department of Education did not return News 12’s calls for comment.

A panel on Common Core and other issues affecting public education will be held Tuesday night at the Christ Lutheran Church at 189 Burr Road in East Northport. The meeting starts at 7 p.m.