Recently, State Education Department (SED) Commissioner John King announced his resignation to take a federal post. This means New York has a real opportunity to set the course right again in our education system and that all starts with the right appointment of the next education commissioner.

It has been a difficult few years for our educational system, with financial constraints and the stressful rollout of Common Core standards. With King at the helm, the SED did not fully meet our communities’ needs or support our schools; these new standards weren’t implemented with an appropriate curriculum, teacher training or other support services. Our state and students deserved better.

While it is obviously important to fill this position, I encourage the Board of Regents to take enough time to openly and honestly assess where our state’s education currently is as well as where it can - and must - go under the right leadership. This introspective look at our education system should guide them during the process of vetting and selecting the next head of New York’s education system.

Transparency must be another priority of the Board of Regents when selecting our next commissioner. New Yorkers should have the ability to speak with their government officials, elected or not. My Assembly Minority colleagues and I hosted our own educational forums last year and learned so much from local educators, administrators and parents. We must trust that engaged citizens have solutions to some of our toughest challenges. New York government should not lock itself in the cultural mindset that a top-down approach is the only way.

Many of the ideas and solutions in our Achieving Pupil Preparedness and Launching Excellence (APPLE) Plan came from the collective testimony of the people on the grassroots level of education. Once the new education commissioner is selected, I hope to speak with the successor about our APPLE Plan and what changes can be adopted within the SED to ensure rapid recovery from what has been a tough few years for our students and schools.

The education of New York’s young people is paramount, and reform is needed immediately. Change is an opportunity for growth and improvement. Now is the time for a positive transformation; we must not squander this wonderful opportunity.

I encourage you to contact me with your ideas about education or any other legislative topic. Please share them with me by calling me at 493-3909 or by emailing me at blankenbushk@assembly.state.ny.us.