Fourteen years into her job as director of the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES teacher center Victoria Shepardson never imagined the Auburn center would be forced to close and she would be out of work. That is the corner the 56-year-old educator finds herself in today – a victim of state budget cuts. The center is one of at least four in Central...
Fourteen years into her job as director of the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES teacher center Victoria Shepardson never imagined the Auburn center would be forced to close and she would be out of work.
That is the corner the 56-year-old educator finds herself in today – a victim of state budget cuts.
The center is one of at least four in Central New York to shut down in recent months because there is no funding in this year’s state budget for them to continue operating.
“I think the legislators really dropped the ball on this one. We were very cost-effective and used our money wisely. To be shut out completely is really heart breaking,’’ Shepardson said.
The state saved $35 million by cutting funding for its 132 teacher centers, which offered professional development and resources to tens of thousands of teachers.
“We were dealing with a budget deficit over $9 billion. There were substantial and difficult cuts made in every area including education,’’ said Jessica Bassett, a spokeswoman for Gov. David Paterson and the state budget office.
There are no plans to restore any state funding for the teacher centers but there is the possibility that some federal grant money recently awarded to the state could become available, Bassett said.
Regionally, the Syracuse and Oswego teacher centers are shuttered along with the Central New York teacher center in East Syracuse, which serves 16 school districts. The Jamesville-DeWitt and West Genesee centers have a financial partner in Syracuse University and are offering limited services.
State Sen. MIchael Nozzolio, R-Fayette, said the centers play a key role in the professional development of teachers. He criticized the decision to eliminate funding for them and would like them reopened.
"I didn't vote for the budget for a lot of reasons and this was one of them,'' Nozzolio said.
The forced closings come at the same time that the state is raising educational and testing standards and requiring more of its public teachers, according to Richard Ianuzzi, president of New York State United Teachers. His union, which represents some 600,000 educators, is lobbying the state to restore funding for the centers.
“This flies in the face of the goals (the state) is trying to reach….There clearly is a disconnect. While politics of the day support that kind of disconnect it is absolutely baffling and irritating,’’ Ianuzzi said.
For now, Shepardson can only wait to see if funding materializes for her center. She’s collecting unemployment and trying to make ends meet.
I need to work and I want to work … but I don’t have a job to go back to (right now),’’ she said.
You can reach Scott Rapp at srapp@syracuse.com or 289-4839