Starting new era, Betty Rosa named Regents chancellor as Tisch steps down

Former Bronx superintendent and principal Betty Rosa was elected chancellor of New York’s Board of Regents on Monday, ushering in a new era in state education policy.

Rosa, who has been endorsed by leaders of a campaign to boycott state tests, has been a vocal critic of many of the sweeping policy changes that have changed education in New York over the last several years, including the rollout of the Common Core learning standards and a new teacher evaluation system. The board has already begun backing away from these policies, and selecting Rosa signals that the Regents are ready to continue that shift.

“We as a board must move away from what was so-called, as people like to label it, reform,” Rosa said, just before the vote, which was 15-0, with two abstentions. Rosa chose a different term for her mission: “I say welcome to the transformers.”

Rosa takes over for Merryl Tisch, who transformed the chancellorship into a visible, and highly influential, position. Tisch oversaw state policy after New York won a $700 million Race to the Top grant and came to represent the set of controversial reforms that accompanied it, including the rigorous learning standards and new teacher evaluation system.

Pushback to some of those changes have grown in the last few years. Last year, they fueled a testing boycott movement that spread to 20 percent of students statewide.

Tisch, who announced last fall that she would step down this month, acknowledged the shifting sentiment on Monday. But she said she was confident that she had made the right choices for New York students, and that she trusted the next incarnation of the board.

“They’ll find their own way. They’ll rebalance,” Tisch told Chalkbeat after the vote. “But I think it’s really hard to walk away from all of this.”

As chancellor, Rosa will have significant sway over a new direction. The board is currently overseeing an overhaul of the state’s learning standards, constructing new teacher evaluations, and revamping graduation requirements. Rosa’s new job will require her to help the board reach consensus on these issues.

Rosa has spent time as a student, educator, and superintendent in some of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods. Born in the U.S., she spent her early childhood in Puerto Rico before moving back to New York, where she learned English in school.

As a principal in Washington Heights, she ran a community school that worked to provide extra resources for students. She then became superintendent of District 8 in the Bronx, and eventually superintendent of the entire borough. As superintendent, she became known for equalizing resources between the wealthier and low-income schools in her district and for starting a high-performing middle school.

“Having served with her when she was a superintendent in the Bronx, I know she recognizes that schools – like the students who go to them – are unique, and she pioneered individualized strategies to raise student achievement,” city schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña said in a statement.

The board also selected Regent Andrew Brown, an attorney from Rochester, as the board’s next vice chancellor.

This article was first published on Chalkbeat on March 21.