Lupinacci Interviews Candidates For State Board Of Regents

By Brian Finnegan (Office of NY State Assembly)

Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci speaks during the interview of candidates for the Board of Regents.

Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci the Ranking Minority Member of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, was recently part of a group of lawmakers to interview the prospective candidates for the state Board of Regents. A college professor and former South Huntington School Board member, Lupinacci addressed several of the hot-button issues facing education with the candidates, including Common Core, teacher evaluations, student data-usage by third parties, and high-stakes standardized testing.

“The Board of Regents plays a vital role in charting the course of education in our state,” said Lupinacci. “I have repeatedly spoken to parents, educators, administrators and students about their concerns regarding the Common Core Standards and the current state of New York’s education system. During the interview, I felt it was absolutely critical that we address the controversial mandates implemented by the board. Any new appointee must be prepared to deal with the ongoing crisis surrounding Common Core and be open to discussing all possibilities to make our education system better.”

Currently the Board of Regents is elected via a full roster vote of the Assembly and Senate members. However, many have criticized the process, which essentially allows the Speaker of the Assembly to single-handedly pick preferred candidates and get them elected, making the “election process” a political sham. Lupinacci is sponsoring legislation which would shift the system to have Regents elected by the public, providing greater openness and transparency in the board’s elections.

“While the hearing provided some insight, I look forward to further dialogue with the candidates to learn their views on the future of our education system,” Lupinacci concluded.