BY STATE EDUCATION COMMISSIONER RICHARD P. MILLS
February 2000
BY STATE EDUCATION COMMISSIONER
RICHARD P. MILLS
In February the Regents will welcome Lt. Governor Mary Donohue and discuss the recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force on School Violence.
The Regents will meet with Catholic school leaders. Discussion will focus on challenges in meeting the standards. We will also mark the 200th anniversary of Catholic education in New York.
Regents will spend substantial time during this meeting, including the Committee meeting time talking with legislators in support of the Cultural Education budget initiatives. These initiatives, using technology and best professional practices, would enable many more New Yorkers to obtain access to the information resources that can keep them learning throughout their lives.
The Regents will discuss a schedule to receive charter school applications. The proposal is to submit applications to the Board in April and May, with most on the April agenda.
At the December 1999 meeting, we discussed 2001-2002 budget development. The resulting schedule calls for the Board to establish their expected results and evaluation criteria for budget initiatives and review the existing three-year initiatives at the February meeting.
The Regents will receive a report on the performance of current and former SURR schools and the actions the Department is taking to support improvement. Also, the Regents Committee on Higher and Professional Education will receive a report on the Quality Assurance Initiative.
The Regents will receive a revised proposal for establishing a student accountability system. If the Regents approve, staff will use the revised proposal to prepare amendments to Commissioner’s Regulations for discussion in March and approval in May.
At a joint meeting of the Committees on Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education and Higher and Professional Education we will discuss the proposed State Plan for the administration of career and vocational-technical education under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act. The Regents will vote on the State Plan in March.
The Regents Professional Practice Committee will hear a report on multi-state licensure. Technology and the Internet have eliminated geographic boundaries. There have been numerous national and statewide discussions about professional licensure, the need to ensure public protection, and ways to maximize the benefits of technology among qualified providers.
Some action items from your January meeting are on the agenda again this month. Lack of a quorum in January prevented final approval. A charter school charter, a section of regulations, and two Chief Operating Officer’s reports will be presented for approval.
In two separate appearances before the joint finance committees last week, I advocated for the Regents budget proposal. The opening was a call to invest in VESID and Cultural Education, and to reject the Executive Budget proposal to remove major parts of the State Education Department. Then I pointed to the strong performance of current high school seniors as a foundation for the Regents $1.3 billion State aid request. It is an easy case to make this year because in every area within the scope of Regents responsibility, we have data that illustrate the need and progress.
One legislator noted that the final result would, in his opinion, approach the Regents figure but that the distribution would likely remain unchanged. In response, I stressed again the central ideas: The Regents call for a major reallocation of the present law increases to support high need schools, close the gaps in achievement, respond to concentrations of poverty, recruit teachers, and add greater flexibility by consolidating funds into operating aids. Just getting the requested amount is a lift but not nearly enough. We need the money in the right places.
In January, I reported actions to identify new SURR schools and to remove others from registration review status. This month I will report on the performance of current and former SURR schools and the Department’s actions to improve these schools. Recent actions include: support for the New York City Chancellor’s SURR turnaround model; action on Regents policy to eliminate the use of uncertified teachers in SURR schools; enacted regulations that require academic intervention services to be provided to students who are not meeting State standards; and funding to reduce class sizes in the early grades and establish prekindergarten programs.
The report highlights progress in raising performance in SURR schools and additional steps to close the gap between current and former SURR schools and other schools in the State. It’s worth noting that while schools in large numbers improve enough to come off the list – and so far not one has fallen back – we do not see schools rising to high levels. An accountability system that keeps the spotlight on "non-SURR" but still below standard schools is urgently needed.
More than 74 percent of New York households use libraries – a greater proportion than any other state. But New York is not investing fast enough in library construction. Rapidly advancing computer and Internet technologies compound the challenge. In addition libraries must serve New Yorkers with disabilities. Too many libraries are not accessible.
Over half of the public library buildings outside of New York City are more than half a century old. New York State’s current annual spending on public library construction is only $800,000, while the estimated need for renovation and construction is $500 million over the next five years. This includes basic upgrades in wiring for computers and the Internet, access ramps for people with disabilities, and more space for collections.
The Regents Libraries 2001 proposal calls for $90 million over five years in matching grants for construction, remodeling and retrofitting of public library buildings for modern technology and access for the disabled. This will enable New York to upgrade and renovate inadequate library facilities to provide equitable access to 21st century library services for all New Yorkers.
The success of New York’s high school seniors has been widely reported but the key points bear repetition. The figures announced this month show that 92 percent of seniors have already passed the Regents English exam with a score of 55 or better. This is a remarkable achievement for the students, their teachers, and school leaders. The results will get steadily better because these figures do not include the January exams, and there is still April, June and August. Without a doubt school superintendents, principals, and teachers are pursuing a student-by-student campaign to get every last one up to standard. That is terribly hard, frustrating work and it requires the State’s continued financial commitment.
Of 100 General Education Students
Statewide Who are Currently in the Senior Class
|
 |
| As of June 1999 |
Now here is the other fact to remember: Not all of the students who started ninth grade in 1996 have yet made it to senior year. The figure is 20 percent statewide although most of the students are in a few school districts. We cannot forget about them. The intense work on literacy and mathematics in the elementary grades is the right prevention, but students who have repeated the early grades of high school need the extra help right now. And again, help costs money.
In December, the Regents examined public comments on the September 1999 draft accountability proposal. The revised proposal before the Board this month responds to extensive discussions with local educators. The draft shows significant change in cut-points, the process for identifying high performing schools, performance standards for special schools, establishment of required progress targets, and high school cohort implementation. With your approval, staff will use the revised proposal to prepare amendments to Commissioner’s Regulations for discussion in March and approval in May.
Recommendation: I recommend that the Regents approve the proposal and direct the State Education Department to return with suggested regulations to implement this concept.
Since July 1998, when the Regents adopted Teaching to Higher Standards: New York’s Commitment," a great deal has been accomplished to implement this policy:
Many policy issues before the Regents require a PreK-16 perspective, and one such issue is before the Board this month. The Committees on Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Continuing Education and Higher and Professional Education will combine to discuss the State Plan for the administration of career and vocational-technical education, under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act. The Plan is for school years 2000-2001 through 2003-2004 and directs over $56 million annually. A copy of the full State Plan is available in the Regents Office. The Regents will vote on the State Plan in March.
Three years ago, we launched the nation’s most comprehensive on-line service for verifying the credentials of licensed professionals. Through 1999, more than 2.6 million online license verifications were performed. This month we are announcing enhanced Web services and consumer materials. Customers can now confirm online that pharmacies and related pharmaceutical businesses are registered to do business in New York, print license application forms for 38 professions from the Web, and request consumer information on the licensed professions in Chinese, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.
Johanna Duncan-Poitier and I met with Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to discuss ways in which our departments could cooperate more closely on consumer protection issues. Of particular importance is our joint effort to address illegal practice in the 38 professions. Mr. Spitzer's team, Counsel's office, and Profession's staff will identify ways in which we can further our collective efforts to enforce the law and protect the people of our State.
It has been an active year on the charter school front. Regents can expect 14 charter recommendations from the State University of New York, 9 from the NYC Chancellor and 5 or 6 more from the State Education Department. Careful review of charter applications is exceptionally time consuming for both staff and the Regents but the time is well spent. It was evident from the questioning on charters during this month’s budget hearing that the Legislature counts upon our close review of these applications, and equally careful follow through to ensure that the schools meet Regents standards.
The Lt. Governor’s able leadership of the Governor’s Task Force on School Violence not only brought useful public attention to actions to keep children safe in schools, but also created yet another opportunity for joint effort among educators, human services professionals, and elected officials around the State.
Several recommendations in the Task Force Report are especially welcome, such as the spotlight on comprehensive school safety plans, alternatives to suspension to give school leaders a broader set of actions, and the transformation of the Upstate Center for School Safety into a State Center. I am less certain about the recommendation to require instruction in civility, citizenship and character education. Hundreds of hours of school visits and discussions about curriculum suggest that effective school curricula already address the vital topics of civility, citizenship and character. Perhaps we can identify ways to highlight the need for all schools to include this in curriculum without a new mandate. We welcome the Lt. Governor to the Regents meeting.
Our friends in the Catholic schools of New York are celebrating the 200th anniversary of Catholic education this year. Regents will meet Catholic school superintendents and other distinguished leaders this month to mark this occasion.
We have on-going discussions with the Catholic superintendents about the common task of educating all New York students, wherever they are, to higher standards. Together we have worked through many of the same challenges that face the public schools in defining student expectations and introducing the new exams. Catholic superintendents made a joint presentation with district superintendents to a recent district superintendent meeting to improve joint opportunities for professional development in schools.
The Catholic school leaders are concerned about funding for academic intervention services and have advocated for including those costs within mandated services aid. Our Counsel indicates that there are constitutional issues with such a proposal and we have not been able to support their point of view. However, we are continuing to search for workable alternatives.
In his thirty-day amendments to the Executive Budget, Governor Pataki increased mandated services aid by $3.7 million, which brings the total to equal the Regents recommendation.
The 1999 State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA) Campaign has concluded. State Education Department employees statewide contributed a total of $125,142 to support national, state and local service agencies and organizations. This result exceeds goals for both the amount and the proportion of staff contributing. Many thanks to the staff of the State Education Department.
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