Package addresses failures in this year’s budget and the Common Core rollout
(Long Island, NY) The Senate Democratic Conference today announced the introduction of bills to reform the state’s public school system and address the concerns raised by education stakeholders due to the proposed changes made in the 2015 State Budget. The legislative package will implement reforms to teacher evaluation system, increase fairness for student assessments and provide support for community schools that offer wraparound social services.
“Each member of the State Legislature has a constitutional and moral responsibility to ensure that every child in New York State has access to a quality education,” Senate Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. “The bills introduced by the Senate Democratic Conference will help undo the damage caused by the rushed-through education changes resulting from this year’s State Budget. The stakeholders in our state’s education system have been clear, we need to stop over-testing students and demonizing teachers for the failings in the public education system and finally address the root problems. The Senate Democratic Conference will keep up the fight to improve our public education system and it is my hope that under its new leadership, the Senate Republican Majority will join with us to make these necessary reforms.”
Senator George Latimer, Ranking Member on the Senate Education Committee, said,
“Students, parents and educators across New York State have loudly voiced their concerns over recent misguided education policies. The recent state budget and the Common Core rollout has demonized hard working teachers, continues to overburden our kids with standardized tests and has failed to adequately fund public schools in struggling communities. It’s now time for the State Senate Republicans to hear their voices and join with the Democratic Conference to pass these needed bills to fulfill our Constitutional responsibilities and put our public education system back on the right track.”
Senator Marc Panepinto said, “This is about fundamental fairness for our students and flexibility for our teachers. It is a two-pronged step in the right direction. By more fairly assessing students, we not only give them a fighting chance at a quality education, but provide a more realistic determination of our teacher’s performance. The restoration of the locally negotiated “student achievement metric” will reestablish equity in school districts across New York State. Our diverse student population is part of what sets New York State apart – our teachers recognize that best. Let’s even the playing field for all.”
Senator Gustavo Rivera said, “Doubling down on standardized testing to determine the success of both students and teachers, as well as the financial health of a school, is simply irresponsible and ineffective. The education package being proposed today aims to reverse a number of the changes made to our education system during this year’s budget in order to implement a lasting and reasonable evaluations system, ensures our schools are appropriately funded and truly improve the educational outcomes of our students.”
Senator Toby Ann Stavisky said, “I am proud to join my Democratic colleagues to introduce this package of commonsense education bills. By evaluating our teachers on clear, rational metrics and providing our students with the resources they need to succeed through the Community Schools Grant Program and additional infrastructure funding, we will move our education system forward in a sensible manner that serves teachers and students alike. Each of these bills, including legislation to make the unfunded mandate of independent, outside teacher evaluators optional instead of required, which I am pleased to sponsor, are critical improvements we must make to our education system so that every child has access to an excellent education.”
Introduced in the Senate Democratic Conference education package are bills that will:
- Repeal a provision implemented in the 2015 State Budget that allows New York State to withhold additional school aid from districts should they not have their “Annual Professional Performance Review Plans” approved by the Commissioner of Education by November 15, 2015.
- School districts will no longer be forced to choose between unreasonable evaluation requirements and sufficient financial support from the state.
- Implement an advisory council to review “Annual Professional Performance Review Plans”
- Restore use of the locally negotiated “student achievement metric” for teacher evaluations and make it available to school districts as part of the optional supplemental assessment subcomponent of the student performance category.
- The “student achievement metric” more fairly assesses children who are above grade-level as well as students with special needs.
- Restoring this metric will make assessments more realistic and useful for school districts to determine teachers’ performances.
Study the costs associated with statewide assessments of students in school districts throughout New York State.
- This would provide an important analysis of how public resources are spent for educational testing, curriculum building, graduation requirements and other essential components to developing effective education policy.
- The information collected will help start a statewide conversation on how taxpayer funds are distributed and utilized.
Establish the “Community Schools Grant Program” to fund community schools that offer wraparound social services.
- This program would create high quality, culturally relevant curriculum, health, social and emotional services in high needs communities, and then share the best practices across the state and nation.
- The State Education Commissioner would be directed to award competitive grants to eligible school districts to use existing school buildings as community hubs.
- Establish the “Community Schools Grant Program” to fund community schools that offer wraparound social services.
Make the use of independent, outside evaluators optional instead of required.
- The enacted 2015 State Budget imposed an unfunded mandate by requiring school districts to utilize outside evaluators to observe and assess teachers.
- This legislation would reform that practice by making the use of outside evaluators optional and not required.
The Senate Democratic Conference also called for $682 million in new settlement funds to be invested in an education infrastructure bank. These funds will be utilized to pay for needs associated with health and safety, accessibility, physical capacity and school construction projects. This essential investment, which was left out of the enacted 2015 State Budget, will help rebuild crumbling public schools across New York State and help create good local jobs. Funds for this program will come from the state’s projected surplus and are separate from the Smart Schools Bond Act.
Senator Neil Breslin said, “There are only four weeks life to ensure New York’s students receive the quality education they deserve. Time is running out and we must act quickly. I urge all of my colleagues to stand with us to pass these common sense education policies so students, schools, teachers, and parents have the tools they need to succeed.”
Senator Martin Malavé Dilan said, “The education reforms to come out of this year’s budget were vague at best. Virtually every question worth asking went unanswered and the concerns from parents and educators throughout the state were given little or no consideration. In the best interests of enacting result-driven, goal-oriented education reforms we need to revisit much of these proposals.”
Senator Jesse Hamilton said, “We need steps that treat teachers like the learned professionals they are. Not as test proctors. Not as targets. And not as scapegoats. We need steps that lift up community schools – getting services to families so that every student begins the day prepared to learn. Not hungry. Not worried about troubles at home. These steps represent the holistic vision of education that New Yorkers deserve. A vision that takes into account parents working multiple jobs, safety in the community, and the many factors beyond the schoolhouse doors that impact student success. These measures get us the information we need to make informed policy decisions, help students and families in need of support, and set up the systems to secure success in our schools.”
Senator Jose Peralta said, “This year’s budget package included a series of rushed education policies that did not address much needed policy reforms across the State. Plain and simple, we should not be playing politics with our children’s education. The series of bills being introduced today by the Senate Democratic Conference provide for meaningful measurements of success for both educators and students. I extend my thanks to Leader Stewart-Cousins and all of my Democratic colleagues for their leadership on this issue.”
Jasmine Gripper, Legislative Coordinator for the Alliance for Quality Education, said, “Teachers, parents and students are tired of being used as political pawns. It’s time to get back to focusing on students and their learning. These bills are a step in the right direction for New York’s children and schools. Thanks to the leadership of the Senate Democrats for prioritizing students, families and communities.”
Ivette Alfonso, President of Citizen Action of New York, said, “Students’ learning must be the first priority in our schools. We thank the Senate Democrats for fighting against high-stakes testing and in support of expanding community schools.”
Peter McNally, Executive Director of the NYS Federation of School Administrators (NYSFSA), said: “These bills address many of the concerns on provisions of the SFY 2015-2016 State Budget and the APPR system. NYSFSA believes policymakers must embrace what is right with education and move the accountability discussion beyond how heavily student testing is tied to teacher and principal evaluations toward research based reforms that support student achievement.”
Andy Pallotta, Executive Vice President of New York State United Teachers, said, “This package of bills will provide welcome remedy for some of the serious flaws in state testing and evaluation policy. It is a necessary step toward helping parents, educators and students reclaim the joy of teaching and learning. We look forward to working with the Legislature to see that these common sense, research-supported changes are enacted.”
Kevin Casey, Executive Director of School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS), said, “SAANYS and the educational leaders we represent applaud any careful and thoughtful analysis of student testing, professional evaluations, and the myriad of current education policies that do not necessarily enhance student achievement. The decoupling of state aid from APPR plans is critical and we encourage immediate action to get our schools the support they need now.”
Michael Mulgrew, President of the United Federation of Teachers, said, “This package of legislation corrects many of Gov. Cuomo’s misguided budget ideas. It gives communities more time to come up with a new evaluation plan, guarantees them extra state aid without strings attached and brings some degree of sanity to the mess that is New York’s standardized testing program. It also enables schools to provide more services to children in school.”
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