Dear Colleagues,
On June 8, 2021, Governor Cuomo signed legislation to suspend APPR requirements for the 2020-2021 school year and provided for:
- Broad discretion to Superintendents to grant tenure based on performance for teachers and principals who would have likely been eligible. Specific adjustments to the requirement that teachers and principals must earn three of four effective APPR ratings prior to tenure eligibility were made to account for the fact that an APPR score was not provided last year or this year.
- Removal of the requirement for annual teacher and principal evaluations for the 2020-21 school year while ensuring that state funding is not withheld.
ESSAA interprets the legislation to mean that an APPR score will not be given, but observations and other evaluation steps that are consistent with collectively bargained agreements or 3012-d plans could still move forward.
A chapter bill providing additional clarification regarding the tenure process where the APPR was not completed passed the Senate and is pending in the Assembly, where it has received unanimous bipartisan support and is likely to pass.
ESSAA will keep members updated as more details emerge.
