Ooops! State Commissioner Betty Rosa Did NOT write this great statement. It was written by a top deputy in her office named Jim Baldwin. She called to let me know after it was posted.
She sent the letter to me, and I assumed that she wrote it because she did not mention anyone else. I asked for her permission to post it, and she said yes. It never occurred to me that she was not the author. She does endorse the point of view!
Here is the original post:
Dr. Betty Rosa has a long career in education as a teacher, principal, District Supervisor, Chair of the New State Regents and now the New York Commissioner of Education, selected by the Regents. She believes strongly that all schools should meet state standards, including the politically powerful yeshivas run by ultra-Orthodox Jews. They are politically powerful because they vote as a bloc. Presently they are loyal to Trump because of his commitment to giving taxpayer dollars to religious schools. At the state level, the yeshivas want to be free of the state requirement that they teach their students in English.
The Hasidic community was eager to persuade legislators to lower the standards for their schools. The State Education Department demanded that they comply with state law and provide a “substantially equivalent” education to their students. They prefer to teach in Hebrew or Yiddish or both. Yesterday the New York Times reported that Hochul was going along with the Hasidim. Terrible! She wants to run again, and she wants their support in 2026.
Jim Baldwin, who is a deputy to State Commissioner of Education Dr. Betty Rosa, wrote the following letter to Governor Hochul:
Governor Hochul – you and legislative leaders have sold out children attending private schools in a most cynical manner- to curry favor with religious sects for purely political reasons.
The deficiencies in these schools are well documented by the State Education Department and in the media – most notably the New York Times. I know you are well aware of those findings.
As a former superintendent of schools and college president I encountered the deficiencies in yeshiva education first hand as we sought to help orthodox students achieve college degrees following “education” at a variety of yeshivas and seminaries. The yeshiva graduates were often illiterate, and could not demonstrate basic knowledge and skills let alone do college level studies. How could you allow this to continue?
Your failure to protect these children demonstrates lack of leadership and unwillingness to defend the basic rights of children to standards based educational opportunities that prepare them for life.
And then you have the audacity to pretend what you’ve done is just another option when it is a sham that will allow educational neglect to continue.
I have a long history of public service and educational leadership that put the interests of students first.
As a lifelong activist Democrat I am disgusted that you would not demonstrate principled leadership to stop this travesty.
Your attempt to appease the religious leaders who threaten your electoral success will almost certainly fail – and in the process you have alienated a significant number of us who would otherwise have voted for you once again.
Shame on you Governor.
Bravo, Dr. Rosa!
Diane Ravitch's blog 
If they want to be ignorant and ill prepared, as long as they don’t take my tax dollars in Education or Welfare schemes so be it. Its a shame that there is little evolutionary pressure for intelligence after a very low bar of being able to reproduce. Of note 78% of Jews (exit polls) did not vote for Trump and they vote as well . Hochul has little excuse for the cowardice. She was never getting their vote .
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Joel,
They DO take your tax dollars. They get both federal and state tax dollars.
Also they control schoool boards in districts where none of their children attend public schools. They use their power to divert money to their yeshivas.
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To clear that up . I agree.
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All time kudos to Commissioner Rosa for standing up to Governor Hochul and for NYS Senator Liz Krueger for calling out the legislature for abetting the Hasidic community, in defiance of state law–protecting yeshivas that promote religious indoctrination over learning the three Rs and prefer a life of separation from the real world.
We know that separate but equal education is inherently unequal. But, in this case, political capitulation to sectarian interests takes it to the next level–going from separate but unequal to great inequality.
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I meant to say: going from separate but unequal to greater inequality.
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Are they being told to teach in English? My understanding is that they are told to comply with current educational law and include secular studies in the Yeshivot curriculum.
In addition, I would like to ask Aron Weider, my congressman, a proud, loud lobbyist against the demands to include secular studies, who cites his own English ability, how he learned English, which yeshiva he attended taught him his English competency.
In addition, historically, for at least 30 years in Ramapo, when violations are not addressed or they are ignored, violations escalate as if permitted.
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I think that you should have the same fervor regarding public education, when most of the children graduating have to take remedial courses in college and in places like buffalo seventy five percent of the children are graduating illiterate.
So Dr. Rosa, let’s not cherry pick a particular segment. Of education, when the whole new york system is failing our children, even though we spend more money on education than any other place in the world.
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Michael,
Your statement is not true.
When you make assertions, please support with evidence.
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