State agencies pleased with Regents' pick of Rosa

New York State United Teachers on Monday congratulated Dr. Betty Rosa on her formal appointment as state education commissioner by the state Board of Regents.

“From her tenure on the Board of Regents to these past six months as interim commissioner, Commissioner Rosa has been and continues to be a staunch advocate for our schools, students and educators,” NYSUT President Andy Pallotta said. “The leadership she has shown during this pandemic in particular and her collaborative spirit are exactly what we need on the challenging road still in front of us. We congratulate her on her appointment and look forward to our continued work together.”

New York State United Teachers is a statewide union with more than 600,000 members in education, human services and health care. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.

NYSUT Executive Vice President Jolene T. DiBrango said, “Commissioner Rosa has proven time and again that she is the right person to lead the State Education Department through our current crisis and into the future. We’re thankful for her leadership, congratulate her on this announcement, and are eager to continue working alongside her to champion our students, our educators and our school communities statewide.”

New York State School Boards Association Executive Director Robert Schneider said NYSSBA is also is pleased with the selection of Rosa.

“We are delighted that Dr. Rosa will be serving in this capacity on a permanent basis, given her collegiality and proven ability as a leader,” he said. “As a longtime educator and a former regent and chancellor of the Board of Regents, Dr. Rosa is uniquely qualified to bring continuity and a broad perspective to the commissioner’s post. Although we will face many challenges in the near future, we feel certain that we will be moving together in the right direction under Dr. Rosa‘s leadership – and we look forward to building on our already strong collaborative relationship with Dr. Rosa, the State Education Department and the Board of Regents.

“We thank Vice Chancellor Brown for his extraordinary commitment to the students of New York state during his tenure on the Board of Regents, and wish him the very best in his new position.”

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said, “On behalf of my Assembly majority colleagues, I would like to congratulate Dr. Betty Rosa for being appointed commissioner of education. Dr. Rosa’s outstanding reputation as an educator and an advocate combined with her proven track record as interim commissioner have made her uniquely suited for this role.

“Last August, the Board of Regents appointed Dr. Rosa as interim commissioner of education during an especially challenging time for New York’s students. Since then, she has fought to ensure stability for our students and we are incredibly grateful for her leadership.

“We look forward to continuing to work with her as we navigate the challenges ahead during this unprecedented time.”