Schools that don’t comply risk losing their state funding.

Jamestown Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said this was a formal adoption of the State Department of Education‘s proposed regulation regarding nicknames and mascots, “So, while before, over the course of the last few months, it was a proposed regulation, and it was open to public comment, public comment closed a short time ago and the Board of Regents met yesterday and they voted unanimously to approve that into regulation.”

The order does not require public schools, school buildings, or school districts named after an Indigenous tribe to change those names.

An exemption to the order is included for federally- or state-recognized tribes to use the banned names, mascots and logos for sports teams comprised of their tribal members. Public schools will also be allowed to continue the use of the names, mascots and logos if an agreement exists in writing between the tribal nation and the school prior to the effective date of the ban, according to the state.

WIVB reports Seneca Nation of Indians President Rickey Armstrong, Sr. issued a statement Tuesday that said, “Respect for Native people and our history should always be the expectation, not the exception. We believe the State’s provision for agreements between school districts and Native Nations should be rare and limited, rather than an open invitation for districts to go ‘approval shopping’ among Native Nations. The Seneca Nation will carefully consider how that standard may potentially apply within our community.”

The decision by the state board of regents goes into effect on May 3.

State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa made the announcement Tuesday, saying no decisions have been made regarding the June and August 2022 administrations of Regents Examinations or any other State assessment programs.

Rosa said the state set a record last week with more COVID-19 cases reported in one day than ever before. She said in a statement, “Once again, the January Regents Exams cannot be safely, equitably, and fairly administered across the state. We will continue to work with our schools, districts, and stakeholders to ensure they have what they need to provide academic, social and emotional, and mental health supports for our students.”

Due to the cancellation of the January 2022 Regents Examinations, the Department will ask the Board of Regents to approve modifications to the assessment requirements that students must meet to earn high school diplomas, credentials, and endorsements. These modifications will apply to all students who are completing a secondary-level course of study or make-up program in January and are scheduled to participate in one or more of the January 2022 Regents Examinations.

The $168.3 billion 2018-19 State Budget that was approved over the weekend adds $1 billion in education spending over the previous budget. That’s significantly lower than the $1.6 billion increase requested by the New York State Board of Regents, but nearly 25 percent higher than the $769 million proposed by the Governor in January.

The increase brings state education funding to $26.7 billion and of the $1 billion increase, $618 million is directed toward public school foundation aid.

According to the Post-Journal, Jamestown Public Schools will see an increase in foundation aid for Jamestown of $362,000 – compared to what the governor had initially proposed in his budget plan.

Jamestown School officials say they will likely use the additional money to help pay off debt services in the district and purchase five buses, rather than having to go out and borrow.

The school board will have to finalize any recommendations brought forward by school administration. The board will continue reviewing the tentative $85 million 2018-19 budget when it meets next Tuesday.

Robert Bennett

Current board member Robert Bennett is dropping out of Race

ALBANY – Regional State Board of Regents member Robert Bennett is giving up on his bid for a fifth term in office.

Bennett said he’s learned that Assembly Speaker Carl Heasite has decided to back Bennett’s challenger, Catherine Collins, for the region’s post on the board, so he’s dropping out of the race.

Collins is one of two challengers for the seat. The other is John B. Licata. Both are former Buffalo School Board members.

The seat represents Western New York’s 98 school systems, including those in Chautauqua County. The state legislature is scheduled to vote on the matter this week.

Bennett was in Jamestown in December 2013 along with then-state education commissioner John B. King, Jr., who left that post at the end of 2014 to take as a senior adviser for the U.S. Department of Education. Both Bennett and King were in town in an effort to alleviate concerns over common core. Bennett had aligned himself with Commissioner King and supported the current Common Core model, which has not sat well with the powerful teachers’ unions across the region.

Bennett has served on the Board of Regents for 20 years. His term will end on March 31.

A six-member work group – which was appointed in January by Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch – released its report on Monday. Tasked with finding to ways to improve the way that New York is implementing the Common Core standards – the work group stated that the new standards should be phased in by the end of 2022 – not by 2017, which is the current goal established by the state education department.

The K-12 educational benchmarks have been adopted by 46 states as a way to improve student readiness for college and careers. But the standards have been met with great criticism in New York by both parents and students.

While current state law requires that districts use student performance for teacher assessments,  Monday’s report said that educators whose jobs are at risk because of their students’ test results should be able to point to the district’s failure to provide adequate professional development and curriculum support

Monday’s report comes on the heels of the state legislature calling for a moratorium on the common core. In addition, the state’s largest teacher’s union in January announced a vote of “no confidence” in state education commissioner John King, Jr. – who’s fully supported the common core standards despite public outcry.

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.

New York State Chancellor John King, Jr. (Photo via nydailynews.com)

JAMESTOWN – The top public education administrator of New York State will be making a visit to Jamestown this afternoon.

New York Education Commissioner John King, Jr. will host a public educational forum to discuss the controversial Common Core Learning Standards and the New York State Board of Regents’ reform agenda. The forum will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Jamestown High School Auditorium.

In addition to providing information on Common Core and other education reform, the forum will also provide audience members an opportunity to ask questions. Volunteers will be on hand beforehand, circulating a sign-up sheet for audience members who wish to ask a question. Anyone wishing to pose a direct question to King may want to arrive earlier than the 5 p.m. start time in order to get their name on the sheet.

Along with King, Board of Regents Chancellor Emeritus Robert Bennett will also be in attendance.

The forum being co-hosted by the Jamestown school district and Jamestown Community College and will be moderated by the Chautauqua County League of Women Voters.

Again it begins at 5 p.m. in the Jamestown High School Auditorium and is open to the public.

The New York State Board of Regents has examined the concept of a regional high school for several years, and formally put the idea forward in their 2012 Legislative Priorities. The discussion will focus on the legal, practical, educational and economic impact of establishing a regional high school.

Locally, the Chautauqua Lake, Westfield, Ripley and Brocton school districts have been the focus of a regional high school, although it is still only in the early discussion phase.

Today’s meeting will begin at noon and continue until 2 p.m. at the Scharmann Theater at Jamestown Community College. It is open to the public.