NYS school officials are due to lay out big shift for graduation requirements

Long Island Morning Edition

A state plan to regionalize some aspects of public education has ignited a firestorm of opposition among many Long Island educators, who say it's an attempt to strip away local control and diminish the authority of elected school boards. Craig Schneider reports in NEWSDAY that NYS Department of Education officials say that's not the intent of the regionalization plan, but rather to foster conversations across the state to enhance access for all students to educational opportunities. Local districts can bow out of any initiative that comes up during the process, they said.

The state Board of Regents approved the first part of the plan at its September meeting. Under it, school districts would complete a 46-page assessment of their strengths and needs by Dec. 6, as well as participate in subsequent meetings with other districts to discuss potential ways to help each other.

The regionalization meetings will be overseen by the superintendents of the local BOCES, who will submit a progress report to the state by April 1. The implementation of approved plans would occur no later than the start of the 2026-27 school year. Robert Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau Suffolk School Boards Association, said he is hearing from districts in favor of the plan, as well as those opposed, and that many districts are waiting to receive more information.

Roger Tilles, Long Island's representative on the state Board of Regents, said he will make a recommendation at the board's meeting today to change some of its regulatory language to clarify the plan's intent.

Tilles said the plan only mandates that districts participate in the needs assessment and subsequent meetings.

"After that, they can opt in or out at any point," he said. "We're not trying to impose anything. ... In no way are we mandating any action on the part of a board that is not in each district's best interest. There's an ability to opt out of any recommendation."

But some local education officials have challenged that assertion.

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State school officials today are due to lay out their timetable for what could be the biggest shift in high school graduation requirements in more than a century. Currently, the State of New York requires that a great majority of students pass at least four exams — in English, math, history and the sciences — in order to graduate. That requirement would be dropped under the new plan. John Hildebrand reports in NEWSDAY that on Long Island, the question of timing came up at an Oct. 25 conference of a regional social studies council. Some teachers and administrators wanted to know when effects of change might be felt in their own classrooms. Many also expressed worry that instruction in history and government would get short shrift if the state drops exam requirements in those subjects.

Although state school officials say it will likely take years to implement, the proposed revamp has won widespread support, including endorsement by New York State United Teachers, a statewide union umbrella group with more than 600,000 members. Still, many individual educators and others remain skeptical that the state can accurately measure student knowledge and achievement in a uniform way, when responsibility for interpreting measurement standards is left largely to hundreds of individual school districts.

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Election Day 2024 is tomorrow, Tuesday, November 5th.

Early voting in New York State concluded yesterday.

No voting today.

Tomorrow, the polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can only vote at your designated polling place. You can find your regular polling place at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov

Election officials are warning Long Islanders to be patient at the polls as intense interest in this year's election can result in heavy wait times.

New York does not require voters to present identification at the polls.

Voters in Suffolk can visit their Board of Elections office at 700 Yaphank Ave. in Yaphank or call 631-852-4500.

As reported in NEWSDAY, callers have reported difficulty in reaching a live person at the Suffolk BOE. Election officials said they are increasing their capacity to take calls. Those who cannot get through are encouraged to email [e-mail] with questions.

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Expect to wait a few days before Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump is declared the winner — unless the dozens of polls showing the presidential race close or tied in the seven swing states turn out to be badly wrong. Tom Brune reports in NEWSDAY that New Yorkers also might have to wait to learn who won in the state’s seven competitive races for U.S. House seats, including the challenges on Long Island to incumbent Reps. Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park), Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove).

Most of the seven swing states that will likely determine the outcome of the presidential race have laws, procedures or traditions that will prolong the process of counting the votes in Tuesday's election.

On election night, The Associated Press and major news networks will call the race for many congressional seats and possibly the presidency based on the unofficial vote tallies that show a strong lead for one of the candidates.

But the presidential election winner will not be official until each of the 50 states certify their electors’ votes on Dec. 11, those state electors meet on Dec. 17 to cast their votes, and Congress on Jan. 6 meets to count and certify the votes of the Electoral College.

In New York, if one of the congressional races becomes too close to call, the final outcome could be delayed as long as two or three weeks after Election Day.

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Most of the seven swing states that will likely determine the outcome of the presidential race have laws, procedures or traditions that will prolong the process of counting the votes in tomorrow's election. The presidential winner will not be official until each of the 50 states certify their electors’ votes on Dec. 11, those state electors meet on Dec. 17 and Congress on Jan. 6 meets to count and certify the votes of the Electoral College. Tom Brune reports in NEWSDAY that in New York State, if one of the congressional races becomes too close to call, the final outcome could be delayed as long as two or three weeks after Election Day.

The first unofficial — and incomplete — election results that include in-person early voting and the mail ballots will come out after the polls close tomorrow at 9 p.m., according to the NYS Board of Elections.

But the final vote must wait until the county boards of elections count mail and absentee ballots that can arrive until Nov. 12, and military and overseas ballots that can arrive until Nov. 18 — as long they are postmarked by Nov. 5.

The election results must be certified by the county boards by Nov. 30 and the state board by Dec. 9.

***

Election Day 2024 is tomorrow, Tuesday, November 5th.

Early voting in New York State concluded yesterday.

No voting today.

Tomorrow, the polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can only vote at your designated polling place. You can find your regular polling place at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov

Voters in Suffolk can also visit their Board of Elections office at 700 Yaphank Ave. in Yaphank or call 631-852-4500.

Election officials are warning Long Islanders to be patient at the polls as intense interest in this year's election could result in heavy wait times.

New York State does not require voters to present identification at the polls.

As reported in NEWSDAY, callers have reported difficulty in reaching a live person at the Suffolk BOE. Election officials said they are increasing their capacity to take calls. Those who cannot get through are encouraged to email [e-mail] with questions.

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Since 2018, Democrats have held supermajorities in both houses of the NYS Legislature, as well as the governor’s mansion. Grace Ashford reports in THE NY TIMES that in the six years since Democrats seized such power, they have enacted a sweeping progressive agenda, from changes to criminal justice and housing laws to the passage of an amendment that would enshrine abortion in the State Constitution if it’s also approved by voters tomorrow.

But backlash against some of those initiatives — from bail laws to congestion pricing — have created an opening for Republicans eager to reclaim control.

Here on eastern Long Island, the NYS Senate race has been overshadowed by the 1st Congressional District battle. Senator Anthony H. Palumbo of New Suffolk is appealing to his core Republican backers to send him back to Albany “to bring balance and common-sense solutions,” like lower taxes and more latitude for law enforcement.

But Democrats sense opportunity in Senator Palumbo’s NY Senate District 1, which overlaps with the race between the freshman Republican U.S. Congressman Nick LaLota of Amityville and John Avlon, a former CNN commentator and author who has a home in Sag Harbor. Filings show that the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee has poured more than $700,000 into bolstering its candidate - Sarah Anker of Mt. Sinai, a former Suffolk County legislator.

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Long Island Morning Edition is part of Your Election 2024, a special collection of programs, series, and resources from The WNET Group to illuminate election issues on-air, online, and on YouTube leading into the November 5th elections. Find more at wliw.org/yourelection2024.