By Kara Kane


Since becoming a School Board member, I’ve had a crash course in the financial, instructional, regulatory and political aspects of New York State’s education system. This list outlines a sample of my observations. If New York State was serious about education …
• New regulations for reporting, school safety, training and instruction would come in two flavors: fully funded and optional.
• Languages other than English would begin in early elementary grades, not middle school. Research shows that when it comes to learning a foreign language, younger is better.
• The governor’s budget would not use state aid as a weapon to punish low-performing, high-poverty districts while rewarding high-performing, affluent communities.
• Board of Regents’ appointees would have a background in public education, not