By Julia Mericle
News Assignment Editor
Between 250 and 300 teachers, administrators, parents and students from St. Bonaventure University and surrounding community schools, protested outside the office of Republican State Sen. Catharine Young last Friday.
The protesters were seeking clarification regarding Young’s stance on public education and her plans regarding modifications to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposals. Cuomo is attempting to make students’ state test scores worth 50 percent of a teacher’s assessment.
Cuomo’s propositions for enacting stricter teacher evaluations would enable the state to easily dismiss those they regard as poor performers. Cuomo’s plan would also allow the state greater authority to take over failing schools.
According to Dave Lasky, Olean Teachers’ Association president, Young needs to explain what she is standing for in terms of proposals for teachers’ job security, annual professional performance reviews and aid funding.
According to Rachel Barry, a sophomore education major and protester, Cuomo’s plan hurts both teachers and students.
“Students are not being taught to ask questions and think deeply; they are having to be taught for the test,” Barry said. “Even students who are too young to take tests are having to be taught test taking skills instead of using their imaginations and participating in dramatic play.”
Barry said teachers should not be assessed on their students’ test grades.
“Who knows, the student may have improved his/her test score from a 23 percent to a 63 percent,” Barry said. “It is still a failing test grade and would still reflect badly on the teacher, but if you look at it, the student improved 40 percent.”
Paige Hollenbeck, a sophomore education major and protester, said she believes teachers should not have to be worried about overcoming the common core, because it does not assess the specific needs of each student.
According to corestandards.org, the common core is defined as a set of academic standards that establishes what a student should have learned by the completion of each grade.
Hollenbeck said that Young is in the wrong for not having a strong stand for her beliefs.
“It was ironic how she knew that [the protest] was coming so she made sure to be out of the office for the day but provided refreshments outside of her office to thank those for coming,” Hollenbeck said.
However, Barry said since the protest Young is refocusing on the promises she made to voters before the election.
Both Barry and Hollenbeck hope to see further action take place.
“My only hope is that more people turn away from Cuomo’s ideas and realize that everyone deserves the right to a public education,” Hollenbeck said. “The common core results do not define what a student knows or how well a teacher covered that material.”
Barry said it was great to see support from past, present and future educators and administrators, as well as parents and students, at the protest.
“I was especially heartbroken when I saw a very young girl on her parent’s shoulders with a sign around her neck that said, ‘Protect my future’,” Barry said.
