The work is 'the heart of the matter'

Mills acknowledges the union's role in shaping education policy

April 9, 2005

As he has for each of the 10 years since he became education commissioner, Richard Mills paid tribute to NYSUT members and acknowledged the union's ongoing role in helping the state Board of Regents shape education policy in New York.

"Your work is the heart of the matter," Mills told delegates. "I'm in awe of what you do."

Introduced by NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira, he acknowledged that NYSUT "hadn't missed a beat" in its long working relationship with State Ed since the election of Neira last year.

He noted that the Regents' recent approval of sweeping changes in the way math will be tested and taught came in response to the "insistent demand for clarity" from teachers and their statewide union.

"As we started to do that work we turned to you. You put forward your best and we turned to a teacher-leader," Mills said, acknowledging the work of Terry McSweeney, president of the Marcellus Faculty Association, as co-chair of the Regents committee that restructured the pre-K-12 math curriculum and tests.

As the state prepares to implement annual testing of students in grades 3-8 in math and English under No Child Left Behind, Mills said, "Your voice has been heard in shaping the exams and the way the results are reported - and we're still listening."

In response to NYSUT's efforts, Mills said, the Regents are working on language that would allow districts to use superintendents' conference days to score the new tests, preserving valuable instructional time for teachers.

The Regents, Mills said, don't see education as a K-12 issue but as something that involves all the many constituencies that NYSUT represents and State Ed oversees - from librarians to psychologists to nurses.

"This gathering is all about the jobs and talents it takes to educate our students," Mills said, looking around the room where more than 2,100 delegates were gathered. "The work you do is more important than ever before," he said.