Senator Martins Votes “No” to Reappointing Incumbent Regents Responsible for Failed Common Core Policies

     “Earlier today, I voted 'no' to reappointing all the incumbent members of the Board of Regents who were seeking another term. I did so because of their involvement in the State Education Department’s horrific rollout and implementation of Common Core, as well as decisions they made regarding our children’s privacy, specifically, inBloom.

     I've heard from thousands of parents about the Common Core rollout over the last several months. Not one has said that it was positive. They're angry, frustrated, and disgusted with the way the Regents and the State Education Department has handled this process and the effect it has had on their children. I totally agree with them. They want a change, and so do I.

     These Regents supported the State Education Department’s contract with inBloom, the sharing of our students’ data without regard to their privacy rights and the longer term negative consequences to our children. They added insult to injury by paying $50 million to inBloom in support of their misguided initiative. When other states were bowing out, these Regents were doubling down.

     The Regents and the State Education Department's handling of the Common Core and our children’s privacy has been a disaster. Giving these individuals another term on the board would be rewarding them for their failure. That is totally unacceptable.

     They’ve failed us; that’s why I voted to fail them."