Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver commended Senate Republicans for taking up Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s teacher evaluation disclosure bill, while also patting his colleagues on the back for what he considers a session that “changed the dynamics.”

“I’m never surprised,” Silver said of the Senate vote on the disclosure measure. ”It’s the right thing to do and they’re doing People want it. Teachers want it. Parents want it. School administrators want it. The only one whose voiced opposition to it is the mayor of the city of New York.”

Asked if he thought Cuomo boxed in the Senate by refusing to negotiate the bill, Silver said, “I think they’re doing the right thing.”

Lawmakers in both chambers are expected to take up a measure that would give parents greater latitude in seeking reimbursements from school districts in order to send their children to specialized private schools, a measure that is opposed by the School Boards Association and Mayor Michael Bloomberg (the School Boards Association goes as far as calling it the first private-school voucher system for the state).

“I think what’s important about that bill it’s a bill to recognize peoples’ differences and children of special education have special needs and what this says their backgorund and home life and best environment for them to learn should be taken into consideration,” the speaker said.

Silver also called the legislative session of 2012 a productive one (naturally) and, like Cuomo, said the activity really was divided between the December tax-code overhaul and the first six months of this year.

State lawmakers “changed the dynamics of New York, changed the thinking of people to how the Legislature reacts to its job. We’ve done right by the people in very difficult circumstances.”

 

 

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