ELIA TRAVELS TO HYDE PARK TO HEAR FROM SERINO’S EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD

HYDE PARK, NY—With the Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Math under extensive review, New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia made the trip to Hyde Park this week to hear directly from Senator Sue Serino’s Education Advisory Board.

“I govern by listening, and for me, it was critical that our local educators and parents have a seat at the table and voice in this process and yesterday they got the chance to engage in open dialogue directly with the State’s Education Commissioner,” said Senator Serino. “I thank Commissioner Elia for making our community a priority and for taking the time to hear the concerns of our local educators and answering some of their most pressing questions.”

Upon taking office last year, Serino made creating an ‘Education Advisory Board’ one of her highest priorities and set out to bring a group of accomplished educators, administrators, school board members and parents together to provide critical input as the state was embroiled in a battle over education reform. 

“With representatives from Arlington to Rhinebeck, my Education Advisory Board has shed light on critical issues facing our children and helped shape some of the most significant portions of the recent changes to our state’s education system,” Serino continued. “Thanks to their insight and input, we have effectively hit the ‘pause button’ on Common Core and teacher evaluations and reduced the burden of testing on our students and forced the state to consider the concerns of our educators and our students as they reevaluate the flawed system that they rushed to implement. I am so appreciative of the time the Advisory Board takes to be involved and their passion for the success of our students.”

“If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that higher standards are necessary if we want to empower our kids to compete in a global economy, however those standards need to be shaped by those who work with our students each and every day. I think that it’s clear that the Commissioner understands that and I am encouraged that she has taken the time to travel across the state to actually listen to those on the front lines. New York is at a crossroads on the education front and now, we have a real opportunity to improve the quality of our students’ education if we go about it the right way and keep parents and educators firmly in the loop.”

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