New York, New York –Former Bronx superintendent and principal Betty Rosa was elected chancellor of New York’s Board of Regents on Monday, ushering in a new era in state education policy.
Rosa makes history as she becomes the first Latina to lead the board, which is charged with overseeing all education activities in the state, in its 232-year history. Her election comes as New York begins the process of revising — and in some cases, tossing out — the most controversial aspects of reforms enacted by her predecessor, Merryl Tisch, a 20-year member of the board who served as chancellor during the state’s rocky implementation of the learning standards.
“We as a board must move away from what was so-called, as people like to label it, reform,” Rosa said, just before the vote, which was 15-0, with two attentions. Rosa chose a different term for her mission: “I say welcome to the transformers.”
The New York Urban League congratulates Betty Rosa on her new appointment as the new chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents. NYUL said in a statement, they “want to recognize the exemplary work of the entire board in identifying a successor for outgoing chancellor, Merrly Tisch.” The NYUL believes that continuing to ensure high quality standards for all students is critical – especially those vulnerable children who fall in the lowest performing percentile.
President and CEO Arva Rice states, “While enough cannot be said about the difficult task taken on by Chancellor Tisch who oversaw the successful implementation of the new standards, we anticipate further gains with our new chancellor. The upcoming decisions the board faces will have far-reaching effects on our state’s future over the next few decades. NYUL stands with anyone who is willing to fight for fair, equitable and rigorous education standards that empowers New York’s children to compete globally.”
AJ Woodson
AJ Woodson is the Editor-In-Chief of Black Westchester and Co-Owner of Urban Soul Media Group, the parent company, Host & Producer of the People Before Politics Radio Show. AJ is a Father, Brother, An Author, Journalism Fellow (Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism), Hip-Hop Artist - one third of the legendary underground rap group JVC FORCE known for the single Strong Island, Radio Personality, Hip-Hop Historian, Documentarian, Activist, Criminal Justice Advocate and Freelance Journalist whose byline has appeared in several print publications and online sites including The Source, Vibe, the Village Voice, Upscale, Sonicnet.com, Launch.com, Rolling Out Newspaper, Daily Challenge Newspaper, Spiritual Minded Magazine, Word Up! Magazine, On The Go Magazine and several others.
