Tkaczyk urges Education Commish not to suspend planned PTA town hall meetings

Mid-Hudson News Network

In the wake of State Education Commissioner Dr. John King’s suspension of PTA-sponsored town hall meetings on the Common Core and standardized testing mandates, State Senator Cecilia Tkaczyk (D, Duanesburg) urged him to reconsider.

The freshman lawmaker told King in a letter that the new mandates placed on schools, teachers and students “are among the most significant challenges ever faced by our public education system.”

Tkaczyk would like King to attend a community forum she will be holding in Ulster County.

“I wanted to invite him to the one we are holding on the 22nd in Kingston because I think it is really important for parents and teachers to have a dialogue with the commissioner on the challenges that our schools are facing because we need to work together to help our kids be the best educated kids and to be prepared for their futures,” the senator said.

King suspended future public sessions on Common Core after a meeting last Friday night in Poughkeepsie during which parents loudly voiced their concerns.