ALBANY, NY (WKBW) — NYS Education Commissioner is stepping down
New York State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia is stepping down.
Elia's office tells 7 Eyewitnesws News she's leaving to pursue another professional opportunity. Elia issued a resignation letter to the New York State Board of Regents in Albany Monday.
"As a former teacher, administrator, and superintendent, I have devoted my entire 45-year career to putting children on a path to success both in school and beyond, and I am enormously grateful for the opportunity to lead the school system here in New York State," Elia wrote.
Elia, 70, is a Lewiston native. She was named to lead the State Education Department in May of 2015 replacing former state Education Commissioner John King.
Elia is a former Sweet Home school teacher. Elia writes in the letter her last day will be August 31st.
State Regent Chancellor Betty Rosa issued the following statement on Elia's plans to resign:
“We thank Commissioner Elia for her tireless and unwavering service to New York State’s children. Over the past four years, the Board and Commissioner Elia have made much progress to improve education for New York’s citizens. Together we have placed an emphasis on educating the whole child and worked to achieve equity in education for all. Commissioner Elia has been steadfast in her commitment to placing the interests of students first. We wish Commissioner Elia the best in her future endeavors.”
New York State United Teachers released the following statement regarding the announcement that State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia is resigning her position:
“As Commissioner Elia’s tenure comes to a close, we wish her well in her future endeavors. We look forward to engaging with the Board of Regents as the search for the next commissioner begins and ensuring that the voices of hundreds of thousands of educators across New York State are heard throughout the process. We look forward to working closely with the next commissioner to fix the broken state testing system for children in grades 3-8 and on our mission to cultivate the next generation of highly qualified, dedicated educators. Selecting a new commissioner with a deep background in public school classrooms will go a long way toward achieving these critical goals.”
