About Us

ABOUT US

What We Believe

NYS Allies for Public Education are parents, educators and community members who firmly believe in the power of public education and its fundamental link to the success of a thriving community and a transparent, democratic government.

We believe excessive testing and inappropriate sharing of private student data without parental consent threaten the future of our students, our schools, and our state.

While meaningful assessments are an essential component of a world-class education, the NYS Common Core (Next Generation Learning Standards) standardized assessments are aligned with unproven reforms neither supported by vigorous research nor vetted by educators and parents.

OUR MISSION

What We Stand For

kids hands on top of poster board lying on the floor

NYS ALLIES FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION EXISTS TO ADDRESS MANY ISSUES INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:

  • EXCESSIVE STANDARDIZED TESTING
    is consuming up to 25% of our children’s academic year. It forces teachers to “teach to the test,” costs millions of dollars, teaches children there is only one right answer and takes the joy out of learning.
  • OUR CHILDREN’S PRIVATE, PERSONAL INFORMATION IS BEING STORED IN LARGE DATABASES
    and is being provided to private companies without the permission of parents, and without providing an opt-out provision to be removed from the database.
  • UNITING REGIONAL GROUPS FROM ACROSS NEW YORK STATE
    in one location where we can work together for the betterment of education in NYS.

ABOUT US

Our Steering Committee

Current Steering Committee Members

Carol Burris

Carol is the Executive Director of the Network for Public Education. Carol served as a school board member, middle school teacher, high school teacher, assistant principal, and high school principal for nearly thirty-five years in total in Long Island school districts. Carol is the Executive Director of the Network for Public Education. Carol served as…
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JEANETTE DEUTERMANN

Nassau County Long Island, parent of two public school children. Parent advocate. Founder of Long Island Opt Out, co-author of Opting Out – The Story of the Parents’ Grassroots Movement to Achieve Whole-Child Public Schools.  

AMY GROPP FORBES

Parent of 3 New York City public school children, parent advocate, and co-founder of NYC Opt Out.

EILEEN GRAHAM

Former Rochester public school parent and advocate. Founder of Black Student Leadership.

LEONIE HAIMSON

Founder and Executive Director of Class Size Matters and Co-chair of the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy. In 2014, she received the “Parent Voice” award from Parents Across America for her work defeating inBloom and protecting student privacy. In 2015, she was named one of the ten most influential people in education technology by Tech…

MICHAEL HYNES, ED.D

Long Island superintendent of Port Washington school district and father of 5 children. Public school education advocate. Served from 2016 to June 1, 2019 and continues to serve in an advisory capacity

JAKE JACOBS

NY BAT leader, lifelong professional artist, education blogger and reporter, and art teacher in New York City public schools. Jake is a father of two school-aged daughters.

MARLA KILFOYLE

Public school parent, National Board Certified Teacher, 30 years in the classroom, former Executive Director for BATs, Grassroots Liaison for Network for Public Education.

SHALA PASCUCCI

Parent of two children, ages 12 and 14.  Cofounder of Kings Park Advocates of Education and board member of Smithtown Youth bureau.

LISA RUDLEY

Westchester County parent of three children; two still attend public schools and one at a SUNY university. Lisa is an advocate for children with special needs and serves as the Ossining School Board President. Co-author of Opting Out – The Story of the Parents’ Grassroots Movement to Achieve Whole-Child Public Schools.

JANINE SOPP

Brooklyn parent of a high school freshman, parent advocate, co-founder of NYC Opt Out, ceramic artist and Director of Clay Space 1205

Fatima Geidi

Current NYC public school parent of two boys on the Lower East Side. She has served on District 1 diversity committee as well as been a member of the School Leadership Team at her son’s East Village public school.

Lisa Eggert Litvin

Attorney, Parent Advocate, with focus on regulatory process. Her work includes being a Consultant with NY’s Board of Regents, most recently working on the Graduation Measures Project, and has also served as President of the Hastings-on-Hudson Board of Education, and Co-Chair of the NY Suburban Consortium for Public Education

Jamaal Bowman

Founding Bronx principal of CASA public middle school and parent. Prior, he was a guidance counselor, teacher, and Dean of Students at The High School of Art and Technology at the Martin Luther King Jr. Campus. Congressman-elect (District 16) 2021.  Read inspiring words from Congressman-Elect, Jamaal Bowman

Naila Rosario

Public school parent,  and the former President of the Community Education Council in District 15, representing the neighborhoods of Cobble Hill, Boreum Hill, Park Slope, Gowanus, Sunset Park, and parts of Fort Greene. She is the President of NYC Kids PAC.    

Former Steering Committee Members

DEBORAH ABRAMSON-BROOKS

Nassau County, Long Island, parent of one child.  Public school advocate. Co-founder PW Advocates for Public Education; charter member National Parent Coalition for Student Privacy.  Former Assistant District Attorney for Nassau County.  Former Assistant Public Defender for Baltimore City. Served from 2015 to June 15, 2019 

CHRIS CERRONE

Western New York parent of two public school children, twenty-two year veteran educator, and Board of Education Trustee for Springville-Griffith Institute School. Co-founder of WNY for Public Education. Served from 2013 to August, 2020.

JOHANNA GARCIA

Parent of three public school children. Parent and education advocate. President of CEC District 6. Co-founder of Dyslexia Plus in Public Schools. Executive Director at City College of New York. Former Chief of Staff to City Council Education Committee Chair, Robert Jackson. Served from 2016 to 2019.

KEVIN GLYNN

Long Island parent of children, ages 10 and 5 and teacher. Co-founder of Lace to the Top. Served from 2013 to 2018

KEMALA KARMEN

Co-founder of NYC Opt Out and the parent of two children who attend a public 6-12 school affiliated with the New York Performance Standards Consortium. She lives in Brooklyn and is deputy director of NYCpublic, a design-thinking community engagement consultancy, as well as a producer/writer for the production company Shoot4Education  Served from 2016 to 2020.

JESSICA MCNAIR

Central New York parent of children two public school children, educator, advocate for children & public education.  Founder of Opt Out CNY. Served from 2013 to 2017

KATIE ZAHEDI, PH.D

An administrator in the Mid-Hudson Valley and previously a teacher.  She is the mother of 4 children who all attended New York public schools.  Served from 2015 to 2018