Senator Golden to Board of Regents: Don’t Sacrifice Educational Standards to Save Money

Brooklyn- State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I, Brooklyn) today released the following statement urging the New York State Board of Regents to maintain the existing high-school Regents examination requirements in New York State:

“I urge the New York State Board of Regents to immediately take the the proposal that would eliminate as many as 13 of the 17 high school Regents examinations, off the table. Regents exams in such subjects as social studies, foreign languages, science and math, must continue to be given in New York State schools.

Is the Board of Regents lowering educational standards in an attempt to solve a budget crisis? We all know that we are in a financial crisis here in the Empire State, but we should be looking elsewhere to make up this budget shortfall.

Education, specifically in this instance the Regents examinations, should never be sacrificed. A Regents diploma has put New York students ahead of others in their college and job searches for years, and high schools have based curriculums around teaching students to succeed at the vigorous Regents level. We should be raising student performance, not challenging the progress that has been made in the classrooms across New York State.

A Regents diploma is an advanced diploma. The students of New York deserve an opportunity for such a strong educational foundation.”