Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke with the press today following his speech in Brooklyn. Questions during the post-speech “gaggle” included the cost of a special election, his reaction to a New York Republican Party 50 Shades of Grey parody of Bill de Blasio and Al Sharpton, Rudy Giuliani’s recent comments about Barack Obama, the expected Republican candidate in the 11th Congressional District special election, state legislature financial disclosure forms, the refusal of Port Authority commissioners to accede to Cuomo and Chris Christie’s request to resign, his planned trip to Cuba, congestion pricing, and UFT comments asserting that the governor has shortchanged New York City schools by $2.5 billion.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a preliminary agreement on a new contract with the United Federation of Teachers. The agreement covers nine years, retroactive from November 1, 2009, through October 31, 2018, with total pay increases of approximately 18%. Other provisions include an agreement to implement yet to be finalized changes in employee health care intended to save at least $3.4 billion, a loosening of regulations intended to allow greater control by individual principals and teachers, an increase in parent/teacher interactions, changes in teacher professional development and evaluations and an enhanced ability of the City to terminate teachers who behave inappropriately and teachers who are in the Absent Teacher Reserve.
Here is the mayor’s full press Q&A, addressing on-topic questions only.
We spoke with Mike Mulgrew, president of the UFT, as he campaigned on the street for Bill Thompson this evening. We asked Mulgrew about what he’s been seeing as he campaigned today.
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