In This Issue
In the Spotlight...
Left Column:
Right Column:
New York State Budget
At the end of January, Governor Cuomo released his budget and reform agenda
in a document called the
2015 Opportunity Agenda. Find sections related to Education (starts p.
193) and Child Nutrition (p. 158), among a variety of other legislative
proposals.
A Controversy in the Governor’s Reform Agenda is Teacher and
Administrator Evaluation
Strong examples from several school districts of how scoring of teachers in
evaluations was drafted and revised, and why independent evaluators are not
the answer to making evaluations better, can be read about
here.
Low-Performing School District “Oversight”
Poor performance and governance issues in East Ramapo, one of the
lowest-performing school districts in New York, have led to sponsored legislation that
outlines the role of a “monitor” and how that role would function in this
district. This
article, by co-sponsor Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski, contains a link to bill
A05355.
Board of Regents Seats
It has been announced that the NYS Board of Regents will have four new
members, two of whom are taking incumbents’ seats. For more information,
click
here.
Helen Bach Moss Memorial Better Beginnings Award
The NYS Education Department’s Better Beginnings Award
“recognizes elementary teachers who are gifted in finding and nurturing the
strengths of each student and fostering trusting relationships among pupils,
parents, teachers and administrators.” It was established to honor “the
life and career of Helen Bach Moss, a New York State Educator who passed
away in 1988.”
Nominees “must be currently teaching at the elementary level
(PreK-6) in a New York State public or private school, and be appropriately
credentialed in New York State,” and nominations are due by April 3.
To learn more about the award and the process of nominating a teacher, click
here.
New NYSED Website Postings
Two important documents have been posted on the
NYS Education Department (NYSED) website for parents and
educators.
The first is a field advisory memo regarding a change to
NYS Education Law which becomes
effective on July 1, 2015. Public schools will be required to notify every
parent of their rights regarding referral and
evaluation of their child for the purposes of special education services or
programs upon their child’s enrollment in public
school. The link to the memo can be found
here.
The second document is New York’s annual application to the federal
government, listing the differences in NYS law, regulations and policy that
are
NOT REQUIRED by federal law, regulations and policy. THESE DIFFERENCES
ARE OFTEN THE BASIS FOR DEMANDING MANDATE RELIEF. The document has been
posted for public review/comment for 60 days, until April 19, 2015. The link
to the document can be found
here.
The Empowering Parents and Students Through Information Act
US Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) have introduced
legislation, “The Empowering Parents and
Students Through Information Act” (S.528), that will allow parents of
children with the most significant cognitive
disabilities to have more information about their educational options and,
it is hoped, help them make more informed
decisions for their children. The bill has been referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Click
here to read more.
Disability.gov
Disability.gov, the Federal government website that provides information on
disability programs and services nationwide
for children and adults, has several resource guides on a variety of
subjects, including rights and laws. These guides can be found
here.
April 15 is the Deadline…
…to submit new resolutions for Convention 2015. Find all instructions and
forms you need on the “How to Write a
Resolution” section of the NYS PTA website
here.
Send any
questions to Dana Platin, NYS PTA Legislation/Resolutions Coordinator, at
legislation.resolutions@nyspta.org.
Winning Beginning NY
This coalition for the early care and learning of children offers many
advocacy toolkits and resources
here.
Cuomo Launches Statewide Campaign: “Enough is Enough”
Governor Cuomo and his administration will launch a statewide campaign,
“Enough is Enough,” to combat sexual assaults on college campuses by
creating a statewide definition of affirmative consent. Read more
here.
Read Across America
“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”
(Emilie Buchwald)
Increase literacy efforts in your community by promoting the National
Education Association’s
Read Across America campaign during the month of March.
