Yesterday, Gov. Cuomo announced that he will be working with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to "re-imagine" the state's education system in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. However, our K-12 educators and parents have been left out of the governor’s re-entry task force. As New York continues to move forward into its new reality, it’s important that those who know the ins-and-outs of our school systems have the ability to provide their expertise.

“I commend the governor for his efforts to keep New Yorkers safe, but our state is entering a slippery slope as he continues to use his executive power to make decisions unilaterally. Checks and balances are necessary, especially when it comes to how fundamental systems, like education, within our state are run,” said Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh (R,C,I-Ballston).

“As the ranker on the Assembly Committee on Education, I feel it’s vital that we ensure our educators, students and parents are the driving force behind how our schools operate, as they are the ones best equipped to tell us what’s best for our state’s education programs. Their voices desperately need to be heard on the governor’s re-entry task force and any other proposals dictating the “new normal” for our schools. Our state has already experienced what happens when you put Albany bureaucrats in charge of our children’s education. Let’s not repeat the path we took with Common Core.”