Senate Republicans say they will break a long standing tradition of boycotting the election of new Regents. They now say they will attend a joint legislative session, and that many will vote no over dissatisfaction with the Common Core.
Senate Education Chair John Flanagan says Republican Senators will be attending a joint session of the legislature to appoint board of Regents members to new terms. But he says many GOP members will be voting no.
“There’s a very strong feeling that not enough has been done,” Flanagan said. “And they’re still not listening.”
Flanagan says he expects a “lively dialogue."
In past Regents elections, Assembly Democrats have had enough votes to approve Regents members of their choice. This year though, because of several vacancies, the Assembly Democrats will need help from other factions. It’s expected that nearly all Republicans in the legislature will vote no and many Democrats in the Senate also say they won’t back the Regents nominees. There’s also signs that even the Assembly Democrats may reject at least one of the incumbent Regents, seeking to make a statement about widespread dissatisfaction over the implementation of the Common Core learning standards.
