“Education is the number one issue in my district. The governor’s positions on education are well known and unpopular because New York has some of the best schools in the nation. I cannot support the increased emphasis on standardized testing nor the convoluted and over-bureaucratized teacher evaluation formula. These so-called solutions don’t even begin to address the problems with our education system. We need to state that clearly and definitively.

“For starters, poverty has a huge impact on a child’s success and is proven to adversely affect graduation rates. We need to address the socioeconomic causes of low performance in our schools before blaming teachers. Additionally, we need to fully fund Foundation Aid. That is the law established by our courts, and it’s the most beneficial formula for schools of average or below average wealth. In our district, the schools with the highest need received the lowest increase in aid.

“Unfortunately for these reasons, I cannot look my constituents in the eye and vote for the education policies within this budget. That is why I voted against the governor’s so-called Education Transformation Act.”