FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 26, 2014
More information contact: 
Eric Mihelbergel (716) 553-1123; nys.allies@gmail.com  
Lisa Rudley (917) 414-9190; nys.allies@gmail.com
New York State Allies for Public Education – www.nysape.org

 

New York State Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE) supports New York State United Teachers’ (NYSUT) board resolution declaring “no confidence” in the policies of State Education Commissioner John King.  For many months, parents, educators, and communities across New York State have raised voices of concern and outrage regarding Commissioner King’s lack of responsiveness and transparency.  Republican and Democratic legislators alike recently escalated serious concerns regarding Commissioner King’s leadership. Parents and educators from all corners of the Empire State have simply lost faith and trust in the New York State Education Department and Commissioner King.

NYSUT’s call for John King’s removal by the NYS Board of Regents echoes NYSAPE’s call for the Commissioner’s resignation in October of 2013.  Tim Farley, a Principal and parent of four school-aged children said, “NYSUT’s call for the removal of Commissioner King only confirms what we have known all along; parents and teachers are united in their belief that the Commissioner of Education has failed in his duty to responsibly oversee public education in NYS. It is time for new leadership; leadership that puts students first, and that is exactly what parents and teachers want.”

While NYSUT’s resolution is a welcome turn of events, many wonder if it goes far enough. Jessica McNair, a New Hartford parent of two children said, “It is not enough to call for a ‘moratorium’ or ‘delay’ in the practice of attaching high stakes consequences to Common Core-based state tests. High stakes for students and teacher evaluations tied to those scores create unhealthy school cultures.”  Also, on the negative impact of using high-stakes tests on children and linking the score to teacher evaluations, Katie Zahedi, a Mid-Hudson Principal said, “This is a corrosive practice that needs to be abolished. No amount of professional development or funding will correct the inherently flawed process of using these test scores for teacher evaluations.”

Chris Cerrone, a Western NY parent and educator, said, “What we really need is an immediate suspension to all Common Core testing, and that means for the 2013-2014 school year. We need to take a critical look at what value the Common Core holds for NYS and ask, ‘Why did we adopt standards that were created without sufficient input of New York State educators?’ We know that there are problems with the Common Core. Therefore, we need to question the wisdom of calling for a delay in implementation rather than a screeching halt.”

New York State Allies for Public Education represents forty-five grassroots parent groups from every corner of the Empire State. These organizations are proud to stand with the parents, community members and fellow educators in NYSAPE to call for a change in direction and policy beginning with new leadership at the New York State Education Department.                    

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More information contact:
Lisa Rudley (917) 414-9190; nys.allies@gmail.com
NYS Allies for Public Education www.nysape.org

The Message of 220,000 Opt-Outs Has Not Been Heard: Elia Calls Opt-Out Parents “Unreasonable”
and Cuomo Continues Trampling on the NYS Constitution

For over three years parents across New York have called on Albany to substantially change the direction of education reforms built on the flawed Common Core, its intertwined high-stakes testing and fundamentally broken teacher evaluation system.

Despite outrage with the appointment of an education commissioner without a public process, parents initially withheld their concerns with MaryEllen Elia and the reports of her support for Common Core reforms coupled with a heavy-handed, non-collaborative approach that factored in her firing in Florida.

Just a few short weeks into her appointment in New York however, Elia has proven parent skeptics right. She has adopted the “tough-talk” tactics of Andrew Cuomo and Merryl Tisch, apparently as cover for a governor and chancellor who have dramatically softened their education rhetoric to the public. Elia has labeled opt out parents as ‘unreasonable’, opt out supporting educators ‘unethical’ and threatened funding cuts if opt outs are not stopped.

In a press release yesterday expressing “sympathy” for parents, Cuomo called for a review of the Common Core in New York, blaming the State Education Department’s implementation while vowing to revive his Common Core panel to review the mess.

Parents across the state are not fools. They know the problems are hardly limited to implementation of the Common Core, but the actual Common Core itself, its excessive testing, and a fundamentally broken teacher evaluation system.

Parents know that Andrew Cuomo is not part of the solution. Cuomo is the problem.

It is Cuomo who forced his unproven teacher evaluation system down parents’ throats.

It is Cuomo who slashed and underfunded the State Education Department staffing.

It is Cuomo who accepted ‘Big Donor’ campaign money and enabled the build-up of a privatized, unaccountable shadow government within the State Education Department –The Regents Research Fellows—who created the “Implementation” mess Cuomo now blames.

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“The spirit of our children is being broken. When will Albany start really paying attention and make the changes that parents are asking? We want our classrooms back, we want our teachers to teach, and we want a well-rounded curriculum for all our children. More test prep or testing is not the answer to closing the achievement gap.” –Charmaine Dixon, Brooklyn public school parent and NYC Opt Out member.

“Parents will not stop fighting for their kids. Tests MUST be decoupled from teacher evaluations, state tests MUST be reduced, and student data MUST NOT be shared without parental consent.” –Eric Mihelbergel, Western NY public school parent and NYSAPE founding member.

“The corrupt influence of ‘Big Money’ and ‘Big Data’ Collection in New York has ushered in the most destructive education laws and policies in the nation based on model American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) legislation and “pushed” by the privatized Regent Research Fellows think tank. Parents very clearly see how profit motives are driving the loss of local control in their children’s classroom…and they reject it.” -Lisa Rudley, Westchester public school parent and NYSAPE founding member.

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