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State Education Commissioner Schedules Additional Forums

New York State Education Commissioner John King
New York State Education Commissioner John King

State Education Commissioner John King says that he and the State Board of Regents will hold a series of 12 forums in school districts around the state to meet with parents and educators to discuss the common core standards and other education reforms. The events will be moderated by state lawmakers and held in school auditoriums in the legislators' districts.  One of those forums will be held in Rochester, with details to follow.

King also announced that there will be four forums hosted by PBS television stations around the state, including WXXI in Rochester. That Rochester forum is scheduled for December 3rd, and King says more of those forums hosted by PBS stations will be scheduled.

These new sessions will take the place of four meetings organized by the State Parent Teacher Association that were abruptly cancelled after King faced a loud, angry crowd at a forum recently in Poughkeepsie.  In this latest announcement, King stated that he wants to "have a respectful, direct, and constructive dialogue with parents," and he says that having more forums, and smaller ones, will make sure there  is a real opportunity for parents to be heard.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.