Nassau Standard

Senator Steve Rhoads, alongside Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and members of the Long Island Senate Republican Conference, is taking a stand against a plan proposed by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and Board of Regents. The plan, which aims to regionalize school resources across New York State, has sparked concerns about the potential loss of local control over educational quality and administrative decisions.

The press conference held on November 21, 2024, at the Nassau County Executive Building highlighted the potential negative impact of this regionalization effort on schools in Long Island and beyond. Local leaders argue that educational solutions should be community-driven rather than imposed by external authorities.

Senator Rhoads stated, “The State Education Department’s self-created ‘emergency’ Regionalization mandate is vague, confusing and can easily lead to a complete usurpation of local control of school budgets, tax dollars and educational opportunities and resources vested in local Boards of Education.” He emphasized that Long Islanders pay some of the highest school taxes in the state and should have a say in how those funds are utilized.

Senator Martins expressed concern over losing what he describes as Long Island's successful educational structure: “Long Island schools are regularly ranked among the very best in New York State. That fact is due in large part to our local control and educational structure.”

Senator Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick also criticized Albany's approach: “Once again, Albany is proposing to push top-down mandates that erode control local residents have over their schools and communities.”

Adding to these voices, Senator Dean Murray argued that the mandate would undermine elected school boards' authority: "This regionalization mandate... will basically allow the State Education Department to make decisions that will not only ignore our duly elected school boards but will also make decisions that will directly impact our children's educational opportunities."

Senator Mattera highlighted concerns about resource distribution: “NYSED’s overreach into mandating regionalization plans undermines the foundation of local control... This radical plan has the potential to force taxpayers to support schools outside of their districts.”

Calling for policy reform, Senator Weik compared it to past initiatives: “This is the Bail Reform of education... bad policy being forced onto our communities with vague, unclear mandates.”

Finally, Senator Palumbo advocated for protecting local autonomy: "Any changes to the State's educational system must protect local control... The Albany centric, top-down approach has been a failure on a number of issues."

In response to these concerns, Senator Jack M. Martins and Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz introduced legislation titled "Our Schools, Our Rules Act," aiming to block state-mandated regionalization plans while ensuring districts retain decision-making power.