Karen Smythe Criticizes Serino For Ignoring Calls To Decouple State Tests from Teacher Evaluations
RED HOOK, NY – Karen Smythe today criticized current Senator Sue Serino for ignoring calls from educators, parents, advocates, and even fellow Republican Senators to support legislation to eliminate the use of state tests for teacher evaluations.
“In 2015, Sue Serino voted to hurt our teachers, parents, and students by reinforcing a culture of over-testing and doubling down on the Common Core,” Karen Smythe said. “Now, even as other Republican Senators have realized the error of their ways and are trying to undo the damage, Sue Serino is stubbornly refusing to act. We need a Senator who will fight for our local schools, students, parents, and educators, and that clearly isn’t Sue Serino.”
The Senate bill, S.8301, would eliminate the use of standardized state exams in the factor of teacher and administrator evaluations. This legislation has been sponsored by 49 Senators from the 63-member Senate and has broad bi-partisan support. Unfortunately, Senator Sue Serino continues to refuse calls to join her colleagues in supporting this common-sense legislation.
Karen Smythe was born and raised in Poughkeepsie. A former marketing executive, she became the fourth-generation to run her family’s construction business, C.B. Strain & Son. Under Karen’s leadership, C.B. Strain helped create hundreds of good jobs locally. Committed to strengthening Hudson Valley communities and quality of life, Karen has served on the Board of the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum and the Bardavon Theater, and as a Trustee of Vassar College. She is proud to have been a Sunday school teacher and a soccer coach in LaGrange.
Karen Smythe holds an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, and a BA from Vassar College. A lifelong Democrat and fourth-generation resident of Dutchess County, Smythe currently lives in Red Hook with her husband Nevill, and has two adult children.
You can learn more about Karen Smythe, her experience, and her vision for a stronger, fairer, and more prosperous Hudson Valley by visiting: http://
