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State Education Commissioner John B. King, Jr. today announced that he has suspended School Improvement Grant (SIG) funding for all 10 SIG school districts in the State.

"The deadline is real; the funding is suspended," King said.Ìý "The good news is that six districts (Roosevelt, Poughkeepsie, Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany and Rochester) showed real progress toward meeting the requirements for a teacher and principal evaluation system agreed to in their SIG applications. All 10 districts can request a hearing. If these six districts get back to the table immediately to address the shortcomings in their plans, the hearings should go well for them.â€�

King noted that the approvals of districts’ SIG applications were based in part on signed commitments submitted with the applications that stated the districts and the teachers and principals unions would revise, by December 31, 2011, collective bargaining agreements for grades 4-8 classroom teachers and building principals assigned to Transformation and Restart schools to implement the provisions of Education Law §3012-c, Commissioner's regulations, and the SIG application.Ìý The districts’ SIG applications also require all other teachers and building principals in Transformation and Restart schools to be evaluated in the four §3012-c categories (Highly Effective, Effective, Developing, Ineffective) using student growth as at least 20 percent of the composite evaluation score in 2011-12.Ìý

King sent letters to all 10 districts (Schenectady, Yonkers, New York City, Greenburgh 11, Roosevelt, Poughkeepsie, Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany and Rochester) advising them of his decision.Ìý He said the districts have 30 days to request a hearing on his decision.Ìý

Copies of the letters can be found at .