In a letter, the state Education Department informed the school board it could lose state and federal funding, and the state said board members could be fired if they violated the law.
Superintendent Dawn Mirand, who publicly opposed the board’s proposal, said in a meeting last month that teachers and administrators could lose certification if they did not administer state tests. Mirand originally estimated the district could lose as much as $50 million in aid, WGRZ reported.
“With all of that in mind,” School Board President Bob Dana said, “I can’t honestly sit in front of you today and push for a continuation of these proposals.”
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Peter Stuhlmiller, the president of the Kenmore Teachers Association, said the board made the right decision by moving in a different direction.
“We realized that our board members faced incredible intimidation from the state Education Department and threats from the governor’s office,” Stuhlmiller said.
“Hopefully, in the long run, State Ed will wake up and realize they can’t continually use kids as a pawn in this political battle.”
Incredible intimidation from the State Education Department and threats from the governor's office.
Welcome to Andrew Cuomo's New York, where nothing must derail the Endless Testing and Teacher Accountability Express.
Let's see what happens if hundreds of thousands of parents opt their children out of the state tests later this month.
NYSED and Cuomo's office will have to turn their intimidation and threats onto parents.
Make no mistake, there's already a move toward that with Regents Chacnellor Tisch's threats and Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul's criticism of parents who are opting their kids out of the tests.
