NYSED Commish John King is a Coward!
Last night, at a PTA Town Hall meeting upstate, NYSED Commish John King was absolutely lambasted by parents and educators for the reform agenda that he has forced onto New York State Public Schools. As a result, King, who is a coward and a crony of Senator John Flanagan, has canceled all remaining PTA Town Hall meetings.
Via the New York State PTA’s Facebook page…
Dear PTA Members and Friends,
The NY State Education Commissioner’s office has requested suspending the remaining Town Hall meetings on the Common Core scheduled for:
Tuesday, October 15-Garden City HS, 170 Rockaway Ave, Garden City
Wednesday, October 16- Shenendehowa HS West, 970 Rt 146 Clifton Park
Thursday, October 24- Williamsville North HS, 1595 Hopkins Rd Williamsville
Wednesday, October 30-New Hartford SHS, 33 Oxford Rd,New Hartford
While our goal was to provide an opportunity to learn and share, based on review of the initial October 10 meeting, the Commissioner concluded the outcome was not constructive for those taking the time to attend. Please know that NYS PTA will continue to work with all education and child advocacy partners to keep our members updated and informed on education, health, safety and welfare issues affecting children and families.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and express our sincere appreciation to those who have given their time to assist with organizing this initiative.
New York State PTA
This is absolutely unthinkable. It’s one thing to ignore the pleas of educators over the last few years. But now the commissioner has essentially told parents that he doesn’t care what they think either. He and his merry band of reformers will just shut us all out and continue to jam the reforms down our throats. Nothing will stand in his way of pleasing the plutocrats behind this agenda. Not teachers, not parents, and certainly not children. If this does not enrage you, then you should be checked for a pulse.
Every educator and parent in New York State should be bombarding their legislators this weekend telling them to “Fire John King!”
Here is King being skewered last night…
The Offical Website of the PJSTA 
Narrow minded & short sighted!
Common Core may be a problem due to the implementation and the slow flow of monies., ie… foundation aid freeze, years of reduction in state aid, imposed tax levy, etc… all created boards of education to eliminate positions that directly hinder student’s abilities to achieve and be successful. Thus, cut scores changing a few years ago made matters worse and the icing on the cake… APPR.. Is it fair ? NO….but to say that King is a coward is absurd.
I can say that the constituents in Spackenkill were not ‘appropriate’ rather they were a disgrace. My role on October 10th has nothing to do with my post in this blog. My response is as a parent and a person who is very involved in public education. King does not solely equate to ‘Common Core’. In fact, NY is one of many states… However, I feel that King’s ‘town hall meeting’ could have been structured differently so that parents were heard and had answers to their questions, unfortunately the agenda was not set by ‘us’.
In short, because I could go on all day, the split in that auditorium was approx. 60% teachers / 37% parents… 3 % children – in which about 90% boiled down to, down right embarrassing. A woman stood there with her 2 children and asked why a man was being removed by the police. She felt that his outbursts, hand gestures and screaming obscenities were okay in that forum. That is the problem… Judgment has been clouded by passion and the simple fact is., no one is happy with the Common Core but the behavior displayed in Spackenkill, by ADULT PROFESSIONALS, was truly alarming.
So, if APPR in conjunction with state testing on the Common Core has everyone’s boxers in a knot, I can sympathize and if parents are frustrated ( as I am ) with the curriculum coupled with their children’s declining grades, I can relate…but to behave and lash out in blogs and posts and demand a resignation is ludicrous…. These types of behaviors only reinforce the obnoxious behaviors that are being accepted in school by children. After all kids are a product of their environments….With that said, I can honestly say… “Mad or Glad”… this is the first time in a LONG time that parents are actually engaged in their children’s education! … why? because they have to!
The word UNION has nothing to do with this, except if you are a teacher who is ticked because APPR has been fused into your contract… For that matter, I feel for you. It isn’t fair, the implementation of CC was too rushed. It needed to be phased in with testing on ‘hold’ for a few years. Monies need to flow so that their can be more teaching positions in place to meet the rigor of the Common Core and the Feds need to leave governance alone if they are going to keep boards of education in place. After all, part of a BOE’s responsibility to chose and oversee an appropriate curriculum …. ‘ah… the canned CC has been put in place, thus leaving BOE members more time to micro manage and get involved in things that are not within their purview….’ Essentially, BOE members become PIAs……
Passion and determination is a good thing when used constructively. I loathe seeing remarks like “King ” and his first school friend “Flanagan” along with “Tisch” etc… his associations have nothing to do with the facts of the ‘town hall meetings’.
Based on the behaviors at Spackenkill, and I know first hand, if I were King, I would either change the format or get the 6 SED members that traveled with him on stage and have them work the microphone as well.
Parents want HELP and ANSWERS, not a run around, That is a respectable request, but behavior has a lot to do with Oct 10th. As I always said when I chaired a meeting,
So, think about it, if our children / students behaved that way …. they would have been suspended and had I been allowed to say it that night I would have…., ” I do not reward bad behavior…I would have shut it down too, until everyone acted orderly.” Who should set the tone ? Aren’t we suppose to lead by example…?
Perhaps my being rational will be cast aside by the tirade on this blog., but essentially, we all have to work together,
Instead put your efforts together and : “Strategize and devise…. ” We no longer live in the Roman Empire.,.. we are in the 21st Century…. let’s all rise to the occasion and live up to our part. After all, it is for the ‘children’ ..isn’t it?
parents, students, educators….whatever your part is…. be that person and work the room….
The Common Core standards for first grade state :
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1a Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1b Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.1c Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.
Hmmmmmm……………….mAYBE HE SHOULD READ THIS!
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http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20131013/NEWS01/310130023/Common-Core-meetings-canceled-post-your-comments-here
You really think the TEACHERS like this Kathleen? We don’t, and you and your thought process are part of the problem.
I was gonna ask if there were any footages of this…until I came to the end of the post and seen the embed link.
Kathleen the state isn’t putting these programs into place because they think it will help schools turn out well rounded citizens. They are put into place simply to make some very powerful people more mobey.
Way to stay strong CNY! I have a special place in my heart for New Hartford… my daughter was born at Facton St. Luke’s!
well it’s about time. Can’t these ignorant educated fools see these programs are not working.
Get back to the basics in Elementary grades. math, spelling, etc. No use of calculators, computers in these grades. as for the older grades, Use of computers should be for research it’s pretty bad when our high school students can not spell. School should be fun, interesting, and looking forward to going each day. All these teachers do now a day is push these new programs which do not work, children come home crying because they don’t understand, and are being pushed to fast to go on. Thank God my children are out of school. I think public schools maybe should be a thing of the past. Because their methods are sure behind most pri ate schools. Wake up people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are still holding a rally and meeting in New Hartford that night. We will hopefully videotape and direct our comments to him and post on you tube. We’re all fired up and ready to keep fighting! Opt Out CNY on facebook
I agree. But we can’t stop with King. There are a whole lot of state legislators and our anti- public ed governor up for re-election next year. They also need to be held accountable. People like John Flanagan and Ken Lavalle who enable these reform attoocities need to be voted OUT and people like Steve Englebright and Al Graf who stand in support of quality public ed need to be re-elected.
Awesome!!!! I hope so!
I agree! We should use the Commissioner’s very public meltdown to our advantage. King has been exposed. Word needs to be spread about this event and the canceling of the other forums. No let up!
Well we certainly have him on the ropes. But we can’t let up now. We have to be louder and more aggressive than ever.
I think we just witnessed the beginning of the end!
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I just retired in August after 35 years teaching Special Education. I wrote to Mr King about the complications of teaching student with multiple and profound disabilities using the Common Core. He did not reply. He visited my school and did not step foot in my class. Coward is an accurate description .
Tuesday, October 15-Garden City HS, 170 Rockaway Ave, Garden City
Wednesday, October 16- Shenendehowa HS West, 970 Rt 146 Clifton Park
Thursday, October 24- Williamsville North HS, 1595 Hopkins Rd Williamsville
Wednesday, October 30-New Hartford SHS, 33 Oxford Rd,New Hartford
Hold your meetings. Direct your comments to him – in absentia. At least you won’t have to listen to him pontificate. Post it on you tube. I am in Florida. New York is a shining example of what parents and teachers are capable of doing. There is power in your numbers. Please! Don’t stop now. Don’t let him stop you. Your children are counting on you. We are all counting on you.
It doesn’t matter if he hears you. Other parents and teachers will hear you. THAT is what he is afraid of.
OTHER PARENTS AND TEACHERS WILL HEAR YOU.
**T H A T IS WHAT HE IS AFRAID OF!**
http://unitedoptout.com/insider-information-we-have-to-get-to-where-parents-arent-questioning/
BRAVO, PORT JEFF! Keep the spirit alive. You have been an inspiration to us all!
Bravo, Port Jeff! Keep the spirit alive. You have been, and continue to be, an inspiration to us all!
http://www.change.org/petitions/new-york-state-board-of-regents-terminate-the-employment-of-state-education-commissioner-john-king#
He is a politician NOT an educator. His performance last night was a joke. I think you should hold your meeting without him and send out a live feed. He’s liable to hear more of what you say than he heard of what we said last night.
The PJSTA calls for an end to RTTT, Common Core, High Stakes Testing and John King’s reign of error in NYS, because all of these things hurt students!