I had the opportunity to attend an Education Commissioner’s
Roundtable on September 24th, the second one that was held this month by the New York State
School Board’s Association (NYSSBA). A second roundtable meeting was held
because there were so many school board members from across the state who wanted access to Dr. King,
the Education Commissioner, which was thought to be a reflection of the anger
and angst that is so prevalent among school board members these days.
About 30 people from all over the state were seated around a
rectangular table. A pre-meeting was held to review questions to ask to Dr.
King and many strong concerns were expressed. Participants were encouraged to address
concerns to Dr. King in a civil and constructive manner. I asked if the State
Education Department took into account the costs of unfunded mandates to school
districts. Dr. King’s reply was that those were the concerns for the governor
and the legislature, not the State Education Department.
A number of questions were about the emotional impact of the
excessive testing now underway in our schools. Dr. King answered, “Children
don’t set the tone around assessments, adults do.” Another unresolved issue
that school boards across the state will have to discuss is whether of not
Superintendents should share teacher’s APPR scores with their school boards.
Although it seems necessary when tenure decisions are being made there is a
fear that it could be a violation of an individual’s rights.
A board member from Chappaqua asked the last question. He
stated that he was from a very wealthy school district that is very high
achieving. He went on to say that his Board of Education felt that the Common
Core Standards were below their own standards and that the time spent on
testing was interfering with their ability to teach. He asked if they could opt
out of the entire program. Dr. King’s answer was, “No.”
There were many other topics covered. Most board members
seemed to not have a problem with the content of the Common Core Standards, but
they were concerned with how it was being implemented in classrooms along with Annual
Professional Performance Review (APPR) for teachers.
Much time was spent discussing APPR, but the more interesting
conversations were held over lunch, where the common assessment of the current
actions of the State Education Department and the Governor were examined. The
consensus among board members was that our public education system is being
destroyed by the lack of leadership in New York State. Not really news to many
of us, but eye-opening to hear it from so many people who are watching it at
ground level and wondering what we are in for. I am sharing this with all of primarily
to remind us all of what we are up against, and who we are up against, in
providing a sound basic education for our children.
Submitted by Dave Eaton
