After the botched roll-out of the new Common Core academic standards, the state’s teachers union on Saturday called for the ouster of the education commissioner.
The board of the New York State United Teachers declared they had “no confidence” in the policies of John King.
“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,” NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi said in a statement. “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 blasted 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 his policies. “Together with the Board of Regents, the governor, and legislature, we will make necessary adjustments and modifications to the implementation of the Common Core, but now is not the time to weaken standards for teaching and learning,” the statement said.
