NYC loses out on $15 million as deadline for teacher grants expires

Today’s 5:00 p.m. deadline for the city Department of Education to submit a grant application to the State Education Department came and went with no signature from union president Michael Mulgrew, who wanted reduced paperwork for teachers. 

A NYC DOE spokeswoman said this evening that both sides had not budged from their positions, killing any chances that the grant, worth $15 million, would come through this year.

“They told us last week they weren’t signing it unless we negotiated with them on things that are completely outside the scope of the grant,” said Erin Hughes, the spokeswoman, referring to the reduced paper work request. “The grant was done and we had made the changes they asked for last week and they still won’t sign it.” 

A UFT spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.

The money would have been used for professional development and teacher training. In exchange, eligible districts must create new “career ladder” programs for teachers that are tied to their performances on evaluations, a policy that the union opposes.