Astorino's Education Plan: Drop Common Core, But Then What?

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino has not been shy about his intent to repeal Common Core in New York, so when he released his education plan Tuesday morning the No. 1 spot on the list was replacing the controversial education standards.

But Astorino's plan, which attacks Common Core as a secretive and flawed system imposed by the federal government, still fails to address two major questions that come with repeal: what would happen to federal funding tied to the standards and what would replace them while the state develops new ones?

In July, when Astorino announced he would run on the “Stop Common Core”  ballot line, he told reporters he would not reveal details about how he would go about repealing Common Core until his campaign released its education plan in September. His new plan calls for New York educators to develop improved standards with input from local teachers, with one model being the "lost standards" that were in development between 2008 and 2010 but scrapped in favor of Common Core.

However, key details involved in such a transition were left out. 

In 2010, New York applied for and received a waiver from the federal government that enables states to have greater latitude in deviating from No Child Left Behind requirements as long as they adopt standards that adequately prepare students for college or the workforce. If a state repeals Common Core, it has 60 days to submit an amending wavier or risks losing millions in federal funding.

Experts have told City & State that developing a new set of comprehensive standards would take years to finish before they could be implemented in the school system, even for the "lost standards." 

It is unclear, then, what schools would use in the meantime if Common Core were immediately discarded. Astorino's plan suggests the "lost standards" as one model, and in the past he has said the state could immediately go back to the No Child Left Behind requirements, although many experts consider them to be outdated and ineffective.

“After months of promising a substantive education agenda, he's merely re-peddling the right wing's factually deficient smear campaign on higher standards for children,"Jenny Sedlis, the executive director of StudentsFirst NY, said in a statement. "Parents in New York expect more from political leaders than gimmicks.  If Astorino were serious about addressing the education challenges facing New York public schools, he would get on board with higher, more rigorous standards to ensure that every child in the state can graduate high school ready to succeed in college or career.”

Astorino’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The candidate also took issue with Common Core testing in the early grades, a concern shared by some education experts. 

The other 14 points of Astorino’s 15-point education plan include beginning foreign language instruction in elementary school, passing the Education Investment Tax Credit, creating three new high school diplomas and restructuring the state Board of Regents as an elected 13-member board.  

Astorino’s full plan can be found here.