The proposal sent to Albany called for teachers not to be judged on students who had missed seven weeks or more and there are a lot of those students.
The plan was kicked back by Albany and the school board was told $9 million wouldn't be headed this way, half this school year and half next to help turn around seven Persistently Low-Achieving (PLA) schools.
The school board has already budgeted and spent some of the money preparing to start turnaround plans for the schools and may have to lay off teachers and administrators to make up for the money.
Buffalo Teachers Federation delegates voted almost unanimously to support the plan rejected by the State Education Department, pushing the issue back to the school board. .
"The board can file an appeal to the Commissioner," said BTF president Phil Rumore.
"Then, a decision would have to be made quickly. They (state education officials) have 90 days to make a decision. We believe that it's possible, depending on what the Commissioner says, if he does turn it down, that it's possible to get injunctive relief that it's going to do irreparable harm to the students if he cuts off the funding.
Teachers are angry, saying they shouldn't be blamed because students who don't show up don't do well.
