Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) is encouraged by the recent revelation that Board of Regents Chancellor Meryl Tisch said implementation of teacher evaluation reforms by November 2015 is unreasonable. Blankenbush debated against the measures and voted no on that portion of the education budget bill.

“Collectively, parents, teachers, school administrators and I have been speaking up about the detrimental effects of Common Core on our children and their education – and finally, politicians in Albany are starting to listen,” said Blankenbush. “This is an encouraging shift in opinion, and we cannot relent until education is once again based on local input rather than the policies of faceless bureaucrats and out-of-touch politicians.”

Blankenbush boldly debated against the governor’s efforts to force teacher evaluation reform on already-distressed schools and rejected his efforts to tie education funding to the implementation of these measures. The large number of parents opting their children out of the most recent round of Common Core testing is being seen as an indication that high-stakes testing is not broadly supported.

Additionally, Blankenbush hosted one of a series of 14 public education hearings held throughout the state. The testimony collected at the meetings from parents, teachers and school administrators was used to craft the Achieving Pupil Preparedness and Launching Excellence (APPLE) Plan. The APPLE Plan focuses on shifting control away from Albany and back into local communities with input from those who have a stake in the education of New York’s children.