In an era of state budget deficits, UUP has fought against a series of spending reductions for SUNY. But union leaders found themselves switching roles when it came to spending millions in government funds on what they considered a questionable project.

The controversy erupted during a NYSUT Higher Education Council meeting in Albany. The council brings together leaders from higher education locals within NYSUT to discuss mutual areas of concern.

During its meeting in October, the council invited an official from the state Department of Education to talk about the development of a P-20 educational database to track student performance. The concept raised the ire of UUP President Phil Smith, who sharply questioned the wisdom of pursuing such a project, especially in light of the dramatic budget cuts SUNY has suffered during the past two years.

“I’m offended by the dollars being spent on such an endeavor that will come to naught when the money could be used to fill budget gaps at SUNY,” Smith said. “This is a huge example of government waste. To spend $115 million on this is outrageous.”

UUP Secretary Eileen Landy said such a database is not suited to higher education because it’s based on the mistaken assumption that all course offerings are the same.

“The system only works if the courses are homogenous. In order to do a standardized assessment, the curriculum all has to be the same,” she said.

AFT Higher Education Director Larry Gold said collection of such data is part of a national trend. Gold, borrowing a quote from AFT President Randi Weingarten, said, “We’re pouring money into the favorite idea of the moment.”

Council members also discussed the council’s mission. Smith suggested new efforts to help activate union members.

“There is a need for a very aggressive organizing campaign because the threats to us have never been greater,” he said.

— Donald Feldstein