Sen Ball Hosts Third Common Core Forum, Nationally recognized education expert speaks to parents, students and educators

Poughkeepsie, N.Y. – 02/25/2014 – On Monday evening Senator Greg Ball (R, C, I – Patterson) hosted a Common Core Forum in conjunction with Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie, NY. Over one hundred parents, students and educators attended the forum to voice their concerns over the new standards and to hear from Dr. Peg Luksik, a nationally recognized education expert.

“According to the federal government, Common Core was designed to provide a uniformed standard for students, preparing them for college and careers. Regardless of the good intentions, Common Core has become an Uncommon Disaster,” said Senator Greg Ball. “My office has been inundated with phone calls, emails, letters and faxes from parents, teachers, students and community members that are very concerned with this new program. We must be committed to providing our students with the best possible education available. However, education is not about teaching to the test and it should never become a one size fits all endeavor, sinking to the lowest common denominator.”

Peg Luksik, Chairman of Founded on Truth, gave a special presentation on how Common Core is affecting New York State’s education system at the community forum. Luksik is a nationally recognized education expert that has been an educator for over 35 years and was a Gubernatorial candidate in Pennsylvania in both 1990 and 1994.

“We are told that Common Core focuses on the floor of educational achievement. But education should always be about the ceiling - challenging America's children to reach up to find their potential,” said Peg Luksik. “When we focus our schools on the floor, too many of our children will never get out of the basement.”

Currently, Senator Greg Ball has a bill that calls for an immediate 3-year moratorium on the controversial new standards until the issues can be resolved, as well as a bill that would convene an independent commission charged with studying the implications of changing standards and determining the best method of improving public school education. In addition to the legislation, Senator Ball has also launched a petition to stop Common Core in NYS on his Senate website that now has over 7,000 signatures.

Click here to sign the petition to Stop Common Core in NYS.

Senator Greg Ball was also joined at the forum by County Executive Marcus Molinaro and Chairman of the Dutchess County Legislature Rob Rolison.

“The public education system is already fragile, and what has occurred with the states implementation of Common Core has been really shaking up the very foundation of public education,” said County Executive Molinaro. “Schools ought to be places where our community comes together, instead the failed and flawed implantation of Common Core has made our school buildings of conflict and debate, creating far too much hardship for teachers, families and students.”

“I have had the opportunity to attend several forums on Common Core and the controversy that has been created for our school children. We need more common sense verses Common Core,” said Legislator Rolison, “People are extremely upset over these standards and how they have been applied with little or no discussion prior to the implementation of this, and that’s just wrong.”

Torry Castellano, 7th grade student from Mahopac Middle School, called Common Core awful, sayings that it often makes her younger brother cry.

“My brother and I are some current victims of Common Core. We both used to love school until this awful system was introduced. Now, school is a living nightmare for the both of us. Crammed lessons because the teachers don’t have time to teach us, ten pounds of homework a night. Every night my brother cries over his homework and I often feel like crying too,” said Torry Castellano.