Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D-Rotterdam) led new state Board of Regents member Beverly Ouderkirk on a tour of four schools in his Assembly District.

At each school visit, Santabarbara and Ouderkirk met with the district superintendent and the principal, teachers and students from the school. They spent time in classrooms, asked questions to the students and discussed key local issues with school teachers and administrators.

“It was important to me that Regent Ouderkirk got a firsthand look at the schools in our area to help prepare her for the important education issues affecting our children and their teachers. I have always relied on input from teachers, parents and students, so I was glad that Regent Ouderkirk got to hear their voices too,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara.

Their visit to the Hamilton Elementary School in the Schenectady City School District included a roundtable discussion on the issue of school receivership, which could impact three schools in the 111th Assembly District, including Hamilton. The roundtable included district Superintendent Larry Spring, members of the district’s board of education and local teachers.

Regent Beverly Ouderkirk was elected in March by a joint session of the State Legislature and replaced an incumbent regent. Assemblyman Santabarbara advocated for fresh new faces at the state Board of Regents to help move education policy in a better direction and Regent Ouderkirk’s election was part of that effort.