NEW YORK STATE BADASS TEACHERS ASSOCIATION - PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 10, 2014

More Information Contact:

Marla Kilfoyle, General Manager, BATs

Melissa Tomlinson, Asst General Manager, BATs

contact.batmanager@gmail.com

Badass Teachers Association - http://www.badassteacher.org/

NEW YORK BADASS TEACHERS ASSOCIATON JOYFUL  AT COMMISSIONER JOHN KING’S RESIGNATION--Dismayed at King’s Promotion to US Department of Education--

The New York Badass Teachers Association (BATs), an activist organization of 2250 educators, voices its joy that Commissioner John King has resigned. During his tenure as New York State Commissioner of Education, King ignored the voices of experienced educators, parents, and children, even dismissing parents as “special interests.” He was the puppet for moneyed interests in New York State who seek to privatize, and profit from, our public education system.  Many New York Superintendents and Principals indicated that they had no confidence in his ability to lead the education system in New York State.  

“Sadly, our joy was short lived as we found out that he was heading to the United States Department of Education to take a job as one of Secretary Duncan’s advisors,” said Marla Kilfoyle of the NY BATs.

Deb Escobar, a NY BAT, said, “King presided over a disastrous rollout of Common Core that caused 70% of our students to fail the state tests.” She continued, “He has been deaf to teacher input. He alienated and insulted parents, and acted like his last name granted him the right to be a despot.”

NY BAT Mark Rosengarten described King’s tenure as New York State Education Commissioner, “..an unmitigated disaster of unfounded, unfunded, and unsound mandates.  His tenure was a melange of misery, a payoff for Pearson, a deaf ear who stuck by his guns no matter what the evidence showed.  He was a purveyor of pedagogical putrescence, pushing poorly prepared Pearson products, providing private profits, and publicly panhandled.”

“King is using the broken backs of the children he abandoned as his ladder to the US Department of Education. This truly shows his lack of ability to follow through, and demonstrates how little he cared for New York's children,” said NY BAT John Faitakes.

NY BATs will devote their time and advocacy to making sure that the public has a say in the selection of an educator as the next commissioner.  We, the public, expect a voice in selecting a commissioner that values children, their families, and public education.

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