Assemblyman Dave McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick) today expressed disappointment following a vote in the Assembly Education Committee to reform Common Core. Assembly Bill 8844, which McDonough co-sponsored, was defeated along party lines, with McDonough and his Minority Colleagues voting in favor of the bill and the Majority members who control the committee opposing it.

“It’s unfortunate that meaningful Common Core reform was not judged upon its merits today and, instead, lost in an act of pure partisanship,” said McDonough. “My colleagues and I worked hard to create a comprehensive bill which had bipartisan support to establish a Blue Ribbon Commission to study Common Core. Our children, educators, parents and administrators all are feeling severe pressure and stress under the system. While we were able to make some reforms during the budget process, it simply was not enough, and this commission would have been an integral step in the process.”

Assembly Bill 8844, introduced by Assemblyman Ed Ra and sponsored by McDonough and 43 other members of the legislature, would have established the Blue Ribbon Commission on 21st Century Testing and Curriculum. The commission would have been tasked with studying the current education system and then issuing a report, making recommendations to the legislature and the governor regarding education policy and best practices for K-12 education. The report would have been due January 31, 2016.

Over the past year, the Assembly Minority has hosted nearly a dozen forums across the state to gather input on Common Core. They subsequently released a report, At the Educational Crossroads (http://www.scribd.com/doc/201479293/At-the-Educational-Crossroads), and a comprehensive reform plan called the APPLE Plan (bit.ly/APPLEplan).

The Assembly Education Committee, chaired by Assemblywoman Catharine Nolan of Queens, is composed of 23 Majority members and eight Minority members.

“As we finish up the remaining two weeks of session, I will continue to serve as a strong advocate for Common Core reform. Our students, teachers and parents deserve to know our young people are receiving the best quality education from our dedicated educators,” said McDonough.