Syracuse, NY -- Four teacher centers that serve school districts and thousands of teachers across Central New York will be forced to close unless the state restores funding or other money can be raised. About $35 million for the state’s 132 teacher centers, which provide professional development and resources to teachers, was not included in the state spending plan...
Stephen Bittner (left) instructs teachers at Dr. King Elementary School in the use of a Smartboard. Working at the board (right) is teacher Joy Yoffa. Bittner works with the Syracuse Teacher Center. Teacher Centers are losing their state funding and facing closures across the state.Syracuse, NY -- Four teacher centers that serve school districts and thousands of teachers across Central New York will be forced to close unless the state restores funding or other money can be raised.
About $35 million for the state’s 132 teacher centers, which provide professional development and resources to teachers, was not included in the state spending plan this year.
“It does not make sense that the state would cut the vehicle that provides the most viable professional development for teachers,” said Maria Neira, vice president of New York State United Teachers.
NYSUT is pressing state legislators to restore some money for the centers and the union is also looking for grants that could save the centers.
In addition to training, the centers provided resources such as multimedia equipment, books and technical support materials. Teachers who were certified after 2004 are also required to receive 175 hours in professional training every five years to keep their certification.
Without teacher centers providing this training, teachers across the state may be forced to pay for their professional development at community colleges or through other organizations, Neira said.
“Our teachers will not be able to access the kind of professional development that they need,” she said. “Teachers will have to find other places to get professional development and it will be a major cost factor.”
The Central New York Teaching Center in East Syracuse, which serves 16 districts, is set to close if money does not become available, said Patti Galimi, director. The center is currently running on reserve funds for the summer until they decide what their next step should be.
“The teacher center is a great asset to the school districts,” Galimi said. “Before a district would call us and tell us what they needed and we would bring the presenter to them at little or no cost. We won’t be able to do that now.”
Galimi, who retired in June, is volunteering at the center until a final decision is made. Janet Jury, director of Center State Teacher Center in New Hartford, also said she would volunteer until money becomes available.
“Our school districts have already lost funding and eliminated professional development from their budgets,” Jury said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Center State Teacher Center, which serves six districts, will close if funding isn’t found, but not all teacher centers will be closing. Some affiliated with a school district will remain open with limited resources, Neira said. They include three here: Jamesville DeWitt; Syracuse and West Genesee.
“We will remain open this summer with limited services, but the situation will be dire this fall,” said Stephanie Pelcher, director of the Syracuse Teacher Center. “Everything is up in the air.”
Sue Jones, the director of Neighborhood House in Auburn, Universal Pre-K site for Auburn School District, said she used the services provided at the Cayuga-Onondaga Teacher Center frequently.
“It’s extremely expensive to laminate teacher prepared material,” Jones said. “The center was a huge asset for us.”
The Cayuga-Onondaga Teacher Center closed in June and will not reopen until funding is restored.
In addition to services and professional training, the centers collaborated with major corporations, such as Intel, Microsoft and Verizon.
“Teacher centers have been a critical asset for the past 25 years,” Pelcher said. “Our district will feel a loss and other districts will take a real hit in their ability to provide these kinds of services without teacher centers.”