ALBANY, N.Y. – It’s good to be governor, as Andrew Cuomo can attest.

On Tuesday, the state Board of Regents tabled a proposed change to Common Core implementation that would “allow teachers to use the troubled rollout of the (new math and English learning standards) as a defense from being fired for ineffective ratings,” which are partially based on their students’ scores on Common Core-aligned tests, the Associated Press reports.

Most observers say the Board of Regents’ decision was solely based on criticism from Gov. Cuomo, who had berated board members in a Monday press release for creating “yet another” roadblock to “a much needed (teacher) evaluation system.”

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The angry governor also suggested it was time “to seriously reexamine (the board’s) capacity and performance.”

Cuomo re-iterated his criticism of board members in a Tuesday radio interview.

“They applied for a Race to the Top grant (in 2010) and promised a teacher evaluation system, and we’re still waiting,” Cuomo said. “Every year, there’s another excuse and another problem.”

Board of Regent members – who oversee K-12 education in the Empire State – must’ve heard Cuomo’s remarks, because they decided to put off a decision about the teacher protection policy until their April meeting.

New York State United Teachers official Maria Neira criticized the board for being swayed by the governor and said it showed a lack of “backbone.”

“Neira also noted there is already a provision in state law that allows teachers to highlight failures in implementation of the Common Core as a defense against termination,” the AP reports.

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If that’s true, then this entire controversy is probably moot.

But if it’s not resolved so easily, many New Yorkers will have mixed-feelings over this issue.

On one hand, Cuomo is absolutely right that teacher union leaders and their pals in the state government have used numerous reasons over the years to avoid holding educators even partially accountable for what their students learn – or don’t learn – in their classrooms.

And while some low-performing unionized teachers are feeling pain today, let’s be candid – it’s long overdue for most of them.

Despite that reality, a case can be made that it’s unfair for state leaders to turn their teachers’ world completely upside down – with new standards, curriculum, and standardized tests – and then dismiss some of them for shoddy performance.

Is there some compromise – some middle ground – that would protect the truly innocent teachers while holding the chronically ineffective educators accountable?

That’s hard to say, but it’s our guess the Board of Regents will be looking for a “happy medium” when they finally resolve this controversy in the spring.