After three decades of court battles, New York City is paying out $1.8 billion over allegations its teachers’ certification test was biased against minorities. Some minority participants who failed the exam are expected to collect up to $2 million, according to the New York Post.
The Post reports that, “Court rulings found the exam violated civil-rights laws, allowing far more white candidates to pass.” The exam in question, the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test, was used by New York City from 1994 to 2014 to credential teachers.
Now, about 5,200 Black and Hispanic aspiring teachers that failed the test are in line for massive payouts that compensate them for income they would have earned if they worked as teachers, lost interest accrued, and other benefits. So far, 225 test takers have been notified that they would be receiving settlements of over $1 million, with the highest settlement so far amounting to $2,055,383.
While the cost to taxpayers is already incredibly high, they’ll also be paying for many of the plaintiffs to collect pensions for a job they never held, as well as the cost of health insurance.
New York taxpayers also have to pay legal fees for the plaintiffs, which cost $43 million last year alone, and pay the special master, who racked up another $8 million in fees.
NYC teachers are upset with the settlement, with some disappointed this money isn’t going toward students in the classrooms, while other argued the tests weren’t good indicators of teacher performance anyway and shouldn’t have been used, according to The Post.
Government should fight hard for favorable terms when the payouts are coming from taxpayers, and it’s not clear that million-dollar payouts to those that failed an exam is the best deal New York City could get.
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