Tuesday, January 21, 2025
As Oyster Bay town supervisor, representing over 300,000 residents — many of whom are parents, educators and stakeholders in our children’s future — I must express grave concern over the State Education Department’s proposal to regionalize public school systems statewide. On behalf of the Oyster Bay Town Board, I urge Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature to immediate halt the department’s plans, which would undermine local control, bypass legislative oversight, and potentially jeopardize the quality of education we hold dear.
The Town of Oyster Bay proudly supports local school districts, each uniquely tailored to meet the needs of their communities. The proposed regionalization plan is an unnecessary and ill-conceived “emergency regulation,” introduced without any actual emergency to justify such drastic changes. Even more troubling, the proposal circumvents local boards of education, the Legislature and, most important, the voices of parents. Worse yet, under these plans, school districts would be stripped of the ability to opt out, effectively removing autonomy from local communities.
Oyster Bay is home to some of the nation’s most exceptional school districts, a point of pride for families who move here specifically for the high standard of education. This success is no accident; it is the result of years of careful planning, leadership and investment by local school boards and superintendents who understand the unique needs of their students. A one-size-fits-all, regionalized approach threatens to undermine this carefully built system.
If regionalization were implemented, resources and educators would likely be redistributed and stretched thin. This could degrade the quality of education, disrupt local accountability, and force residents to shoulder additional financial burdens at a time when families are already grappling with inflation and economic uncertainty.
Parents want their tax dollars to benefit their local schools, not to subsidize distant districts with unrelated challenges. We must ask ourselves, how does shifting resources away from high-performing schools improve education for all? The answer is simple — it doesn’t. Instead, it risks dragging everyone down to a lowest-common-denominator approach that would help no one and harm many.
The Education Department has framed this proposal as a response to an “emergency” in education, but where is the evidence? According to Education Week’s Quality Counts report, New York’s education system ranks among the top 10 in the nation. Our state’s schools, while not without challenges, are far from being in a crisis that requires such heavy-handed measures. Instead of addressing specific issues in struggling districts, this plan imposes a blanket solution that would penalize successful schools and their communities. What’s more, the plan appears to be driven not by data or necessity, but by an agenda pushed by unelected Albany bureaucrats. Decisions about education should not be dictated by individuals who are disconnected from the needs of our students, families and educators.
Unfortunately, this regionalization proposal is not an isolated incident. It is part of a broader trend of state overreach into local matters. From efforts to mandate high-density apartment buildings in suburban neighborhoods to attempts to overhaul local election processes, the state has repeatedly sought to diminish local control. Each of these initiatives erodes the ability of communities to govern themselves in ways that reflect their values and priorities.
We must stand firm against this overreach while reaffirming our commitment to local decision-making, especially when it comes to the education of our children.
The future of our children, our schools and our communities is at stake. Regionalization is not the answer when it comes to improving education in New York state. It is a misguided attempt to fix problems that do not exist in many districts while failing to address the real issues in others.
I urge you to join us in opposing this plan. Let’s send a clear message to Governor Hochul, state lawmakers and the Education Department: Keep local control where it belongs — in the hands of parents, educators and communities. Sign the petition at oysterbaytown.com/schools.
Joseph Saladino is supervisor of the Town of Oyster Bay.
