At the same time Randi is pitching bold reforms, Tom Carroll exposes what's going on in the trenches in NY (which mirrors other states as well):

Amid the last-minute brinkmanship in Albany, the New York State United Teachers and its allies, including the so-called Alliance for Quality Education, are trying to insert poison pills into the deal.

Even in Albany, where few things truly shock anymore, NYSUT's brazen cynicism is raising eyebrows:

…State leaders have reached a consensus on truly competing for Race to the Top funds. The challenge over the next week is to make sure that the effort to assemble the needed votes doesn't allow any of these poison pills to slip in -- and take down the whole effort. If NYSUT's lobbyists win, New Yorkers will have lost $700 million in education dollars and the chance to adopt needed education reforms.

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