Iannuzzi, president of the powerful 600,000-member New York State United Teachers union (NYSUT), had been invited to the vice president’s plane to make the case that the state deserved a major slice of the $4.35 billion in federal stimulus funds, which Duncan will soon dole out to states that appear to be implementing his agenda.
By the end of the flight between Washington, D.C., and Syracuse, Iannuzzi says he was convinced that Duncan had gotten the message.
“I left confident that the secretary understood my explanation,” said Iannuzzi, “and he indicated that there would be no barriers for applying for the funds.”
Yet despite Iannuzzi’s lobbying efforts, others remain concerned about the union’s—and the state’s—approach to winning the funds from the program, known as “Race to the Top.”
Back in June, Duncan singled out New York as an example of a state that could miss out on the money because of a law capping the number of charter schools in the state at 200.
But so far, the state has stuck with the cap, even as other states have changed their laws in order to try and qualify for funds. Only 12 to 15 states are expected to receive a portion of the money.
The cap would also throw a major wrench in Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s third-term agenda. Bloomberg made building more charter schools a centerpiece of his campaign rhetoric, and the state could hit its cap of 200 by the end of this year.
But Ianuzzi said the Bloomberg’s vision is too extreme because it lacks adequate checks and balances to ensure accountability for the new schools. Ianuzzi said he would be open to lifting the cap if such checks are put into place.
Charter school advocates, however, remain skeptical of Iannuzzi. Peter Murphy, policy director for the New York Charter Schools Association, said the state was missing an opportunity by not proactively reforming its laws to fit Duncan’s criteria, especially in light of $700 million in education cuts proposed by Gov. David Paterson.
The first round of Race to the Top funds are likely to be disbursed in January. A second round will likely be distributed around April.
Murphy speculated that Iannuzzi was banking on the influence of Sen. Chuck Schumer and the union’s own power to try and win funds without actually reforming its policies.
Murphy predicted that Iannuzzi will only prod the Legislature to reform the state’s education laws if it comes up dry on the first round.
“He’s playing an insider’s game, saying he has the ear of the administration,” Murphy said. “What the state should be doing is playing both cards—playing the insider’s game and actually making the reforms.”
Iannuzzi, however, countered that he is simply trying to push the best policies possible for the state’s students—and that he has already faced some pushback from union membership for embracing reform as strongly as he has.
“The greatest challenge is finding time to explain that these things are in their interests,” he said.
