Last week, Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) welcomed members of NYS Allies for Public Education at an informational forum in Albany. The group of concerned parents and community members joined Ra to discuss their disappointment with New York’s test-centric curriculum and the governor’s executive budget proposal, which has an increased focus on high-stakes testing.

“I was pleased to have had members of the NYS Allies for Public Education visit me in Albany to share their message and concerns,” said Ra. “Following the hasty implementation of the Common Core curriculum, my colleagues and I have welcomed input from local parents, educators, and school districts. Since then, the number of advocates in our communities has greatly increased, and our fight to improve education for New York’s children has been noticed. By partnering with grassroots organizations such as this one, we have been able to make our call for reform loud and clear.”

Ra, the Ranking Minority Member on the Education Committee, and his colleagues in the Assembly Minority are encouraging the new leadership of both the state Assembly and the education department to consider the concerns that have been expressed by NYSAPE members regarding the governor’s proposed reforms and other education proposals.

"We came to Albany to inform lawmakers about what was really happening in education. Thank you so much to Assemblyman Ed Ra for inviting us and for his support. We came to share the message of parents and educators from across New York State about how detrimental Gov. Cuomo's agenda will be to our children. Thank you again,” said Marla Kilfoyle, National Board Certified Teacher.

“NYSAPE came to Albany to fight for public education for all kids in New York and to stop the education reform debacle being driven by the governor and the Senate majority. Thank you to Assemblyman Ed Ra for inviting us to speak. We are sharing our message with the governor and the entire Legislature to let them know parents are continuing to rise up in big numbers,” said Lisa Rudley, founding member of NYS Allies for Public Education.