NY Education Committee Chair Throws NY Parents Out of His Office
By:  Bonnie F. Kelly Buckley 





I experienced a first in my life today, I was tossed from a NYS senator's office. Senator Carl Marcellino (R) agreed to meet Rosemary Garafalo after she basically badgered them into answering an e-mail.(First rude thing) we met him at 11 in his office and from the moment he sat down it was clear he didn't want to hear a word we said. He was absurdly ignorant of what is going on in education, considering he is the EDUCATION chair. We discussed how NYS Grad requirements are absurd. We discussed the cut scores that render regents exams a hysterically bad joke. He claimed that the reason we went to this policy (as a state) was because "better universities across the country were refusing to admit NYS students because we had no standards." I challenged this remark, I told him I'd never heard such a thing and he sneered, "Well you learned something new today." He further opined that we just can't hand out diplomas for attendance. (Condescending, mean spirited, ignorant) We said that isn't what we are saying but he had absolutely no interest in listening to anything, PARENTS who reside in NYS had to say about EDUCATION. He also informed us that there are, "Thousands of jobs, that pay a living wage, for people without diplomas." I told him that was untrue. In hindsight I wish I'd asked him for a list. And where that living wage would afford someone to LIVE. (Certainly not in one of the most expensive places in the US) Rosemary tried to explain why we were there but he kept interrupting. And then got angry when Rosemary pointed out that he wasn't listening. And then he told us to, "Get out." In my entire life I never thought I'd see the day that a PUBLIC SERVANT would be so rude, disrespectful, ignorant, self serving or dishonest as NYS senator Carl Marcellino. He does not DESERVE TO SERVE.‪#‎rememberinnovember‬ ‪#‎diplomacrisis‬ ‪#‎nopublicservant‬