Assemblyman John Mikulin (R,C,I-Bethpage) and Councilman Dennis Dunne are appalled at the governor’s proposal to have the Gates Foundation assist with the reopening of schools in New York after the COVID-19 pandemic has ceased.

“I stand with the parents, teachers and other New Yorkers who are against this partnership,” said Mikulin. “Bill Gates and his foundation have promoted numerous educational initiatives, including Common Core standards and linking teacher evaluations to test scores, which have consistently failed. It is unfair for students and their families to continually put their educational careers at risk to try out what the Gates Foundation is calling innovations, which have no evidence to support these so-called solutions. While virtual learning has its place and is a huge help during emergencies such as the one we are currently in, it does not replace in person learning which has a huge amount of benefits that you just can’t get virtually. What we need to be doing is involving the teachers, parents and guardians in these discussions. They are the ones who work with students on a daily basis and can be a huge help in learning what works for some students and doesn’t for others.”

In recent years, some policies and new initiatives supported by the Gates Foundations has sparked a huge movement in which parents and guardians opted out of taking state exams. This was a huge issue, as it threatened some school’s abilities to acquire federal funding. In a letter to Gov. Cuomo, multiple parent groups, including New York State Allies for Public Education, Class Size Matters and Parent Coalition for Student Privacy, called for the proper and equitable funding of schools. Other requests include smaller classes, along with school counselors and other services considered critical to students, particularly with the amount of losses they have experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The announcement of the Governor with respect to re-imagining education in concert with the Gates Foundation for public school children in New York State raises significant concerns,” said Councilman Dennis Dunne. “The Governor’s plan is especially disconcerting since it seeks to dramatically change our superlative education system even after the COVID-19 pandemic is resolved. The plan devised by the Gates Foundation and Governor Cuomo appears to have an overreliance on new online learning strategies at the expense of in person education and support. That is dangerous, and our children will suffer as a result. Such a strategy overlooks the growing emotional and social needs of children during these difficult times. While there is substantial and undeniable value associated with technology in public education, we should be placing emphasis and funding behind priorities such as increasing the number of teachers to reduce class size and enhancing the presence of social workers and mental health counselors in our schools. I stand with the parents, students and teachers on the education of our children. I oppose any plan that will diminish the roll of teachers and personal contact in the education of our children.”