His leftist views are damaging our schools
Each region of New York State has a delegate that is appointed to the state’s Board of Regents by our elected officials in Albany. For the past nineteen years, that spot has been filled by former developer Roger Tilles. During his tenure, he has espoused leftist views that have been a detriment to education in the state and for Long Island. It’s time for him to go.
Tilles’ appointment expires in 2025. Our local delegation should insist on a representative who is more moderate and more in line with the beliefs of the people of Long Island.
Tilles has sat idly by as educational standards were eviscerated. He’s also refused to fight the new curriculum that has divided students by bringing Critical Race Theory (CRT) into our schools.
His latest strike is the “go along to get along” attitude as the far left and New York State bureaucracy seek to take control of our school decision-making process from locally elected school boards. https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/state-education-regionalization-plan-ra5bqd1i
The crazy cabal in Albany has already sought to indoctrinate our kids with CRT and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion). The latest attempt to push this nonsense on our children is through an edict from the state leaders that there exists an “equity emergency.” The so-called emergency is actually just a ruse to wrest control from local boards and require that these decisions be subject to review from the New York State bureaucracy. Some have claimed that this review process will require an ultimate sign-off by the regional czar. This is a Marxist’s dream.
Others say that it is merely requiring the locals to prepare a plan, but will not carry with it veto power from the state regional bureaucrats.
Tilles is often an apologist for the bureaucracy and insists it is not a mandate, but the wording speaks for itself. It’s why numerous school boards from Long Island issued a missive to complain about this overreach. Tilles has since called for a clarification to allow schools to opt out. But, given his history, it’s likely he retracted only because he was caught in an uproar from the parents.
Tilles was equally indifferent when the Marxist wing of the education cabal pushed blatantly pornographic materials into our school libraries. If you think we are exaggerating, see for yourself here. When parents objected, Tilles implied they were hallucinating.
He stood up for the woke — not the parents of the districts.
Tilles was also an accomplice in allowing our school standards to be obliterated. If not enough students pass their exams, the Regents, with Tilles’ consent, proposed the ludicrous idea that we lower or eliminate the standards. Said Tilles, “Maybe the Regents exams are not the be-all and end-all.”
Passing grades were lowered from 65 to 50 during the pandemic and the need to take Regents exams was abolished altogether. (Long Island Life & Politics is currently conducting a poll on whether or not passing the Regents exam as a graduation requirement should be abolished.)
Tilles has to go and so do the crazy woke policies that have poisoned our kids and eliminated the academic standards that kids need to excel.