“I am pleased to have joined my Assembly colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass meaningful changes to the flawed education policies of recent years. The legislation (A.7303-A) would begin to correct many of the unproven reforms that were implemented in the 2015-16 State Budget.

“By supporting this legislation, we’re sending a message to the students, teachers and parents of New York State – we’re still listening, and we’re still fighting. This bill enacts new measures to evaluate the standardized tests and assessments being given to our children to ensure that they are age and time appropriate, requires the state education commissioner to thoroughly review the content within the Common Core standards, and extends the deadlines for both negotiations and implementation of the new teacher evaluation process until the fall of 2016. The most critical provision was that the school aid that many districts depend on will not be tied to the implementation of the evaluation process.

“While this is definitely a step in the right direction, there is still much work to be done in the remaining days of the 2015 Legislative Session. We must work to ensure that the Board of Regents has the flexibility and local input to design an evaluation system and curriculum standards that can be tailored to all of the unique school districts in New York.

“My colleagues and I in the Minority Conference are ready to work in a bipartisan manner to further review and restructure New York’s education system. Parents and teachers throughout New York State are clamoring for changes to restore local control, reduce testing and ensure appropriate learning standards. This is our chance to make New York a leader in the movement rather than a follower.”