Legislators question Board of Regents candidates on equity, graduation measures, funding and charter growth

Albany — Legislators from both houses questioned Board of Regents candidates and Chancellor Lester Young at a joint Senate–Assembly education committee hearing about how the regents plan to advance equity, change graduation measures and respond to looming federal funding and policy changes.

Chancellor Lester Young framed the regents’ work around measurable results and broader measures of student learning. “The purpose of schooling is learning,” Young said, arguing the Board of Regents must adopt policies and “equitable accountability” that give districts multiple ways to measure students’ readiness for college and careers. He said the regents are pressing ahead on implementing the Blue Ribbon Committee’s graduation recommendations and the “portrait of a graduate” approach to avoid relying on single-test outcomes.

Lawmakers pressed candidates and regents on several recurring concerns: whether new graduation measures will replace or supplement Regents exams; the possible impact of federal budget cuts and altered program rules on Title I, special education and other grant-funded positions; charter-school approvals and community saturation; long-running oversight of East Ramapo and other troubled districts; and classroom management issues such as student use of cell phones.

Why it matters: The Board of Regents sets policy that affects roughly the state’s K–12 population, teacher preparation programs and higher education articulation. Legislators said the hearing was meant to test…