New York State Education Commissioner John King, Jr. speaks with reporters prior to a public forum on public education at Jamestown High School on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013.
ALBANY – The largest teachers’ union in New York State has publicly come out against the state’s top education commissioner, calling for his removal.
According to the NY Daily News, the board of the New York State United Teachers declared they had “no confidence” in the policies of John King, Jr.
In a prepared statement, NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi said, “The commissioner has pursued policies that repeatedly ignore the voices of parents and educators who have identified problems and called on him to move more thoughtfully. Instead of listening to and trusting parents and teachers to know and do what’s right for students, the commissioner has offered meaningless rhetoric and token change.”
Iannuzzi criticized King for not backing a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences for standardized testing. The NYSUT board also withdrew its support for the Common Core standards.
In a joint statement, Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch and state education commissioner King defended the education policies, saying now is not the time to weaken standards. They also stated that they will make necessary adjustments and modifications to the implementation of the Common Core with the help of the governor’s office and state legislature.
King was in Jamestown in December 2013 to host a forum on the common core and public education in New York State and was meant with criticism from parents, teachers and students. Audio from the forum is available at our Soundcloud Page.
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