Look past New York’s political intrigue here, as a popular Democratic governor creates distance between himself and New York City’s newly elected Democratic mayor. The more remarkable takeaway are the words of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, one of the nation’s leading elected Democrats. Close your eyes and these animated remarks about school choice could just as easily been spoken by, say, Jeb Bush, who according to presidential polls remains one of the nation’s leading Republicans.
On charter schools: “We are here today to tell you that we stand with you; you are not alone. We WILL save charter schools.”
On teacher unions: “Education is not about the districts and not about the pensions and not about the unions and not about the lobbyists and not about the PR firms. Education is about the student and the students come first.”
On change: “We need new ideas. Einstein said insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting a different result. The education industry has said the same thing for decades: more money, more money, more money, little change. We spend more money per pupil than any state in the nation. We’re No. 32 in results. It’s not just about putting more money in the public school system. It’s trying something new, and that’s what charter schools are all about.”
