NYS Board of Regents Meeting Summaries

Summary of May 2026 Board of Regents Meeting

The Board of Regents conducted their monthly meeting on Monday, May 18, and Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

Regent Aramena Ferrer opened the meeting by welcoming a delegation of students representing the fencing team from Rosalyn Yalow Charter School in the Bronx. Regent Ferrer highlighted the key characteristics of the unique program which is offered to all students at Rosalyn Yalow in an effort to develop physical discipline and emotional regulation.

Regent Frances Wills offered reflective remarks to commemorate the recognition of the month of May as Jewish American Heritage Month. Regent Wills shared some historical perspective on the challenges her Jewish grandparents faced as immigrants to this country that continue to inspire her today. She also recognized the fundamental values of the Jewish faith that promote lifelong learning and arguing for truth to promote change.

Regent Judith Chin recognized the month of May as Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) Month. Regent Chin reflected on the heritage and resilience of early AAPI settlers in their efforts to achieve fairness and equity in our country. She also emphasized the extraordinary contributions that Asian American/Pacific islanders have made to our society.

P-12 related topics covered during the May 2026 meeting that are summarized in this report include:

NY Inspires and Innovative Educational Practices Update
New York State Migrant Education Program Update
Presentation of Comprehensive School-Based Mental Health Briefs

NY Inspires and Innovative Educational Practices Update

Deputy Commissioner Jeffrey Matteson introduced an update on the progress with the implementation of NY Inspires. The Deputy Commissioner noted that New York is not alone in taking on initiatives such as this and that they are actively collaboratively with several other states across the country doing similar work.

Before introducing three guest presenters, Deputy Commissioner Angelique Johnson-Dingle re-emphasized the four key goals of NY Inspires:

Adopt a NYS Portrait of a Graduate
Redefine Credits and Learning Experiences
Sunset Diploma Assessment Requirements
Move to one NYS High school Diploma

Three presenters, who serve in different types of administrative roles, presented on the work they are doing to implement components of NY Inspires in their districts/schools.

Dr. Turina Turner, District Superintendent of the Washing-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex (WSWHE) BOCES, presented on the guiding principles her region has been focusing on and the steps they are taking to move from theory to practice with implementing NY Inspires. Dr. Turner emphasized they are working toward adopting the Portrait of a Graduate components into all programs, establishing regional repositories to share best practices, and building community partnerships and networks to guide future work.

Dr. Amy Creeden, superintendent of the Middletown City School District, shared a review of the progress that has been made in her high needs, diverse district. Dr. Creeden noted that Middletown is currently working with six college partners and has significantly increased the number of dual enrollment college credits that students are earning. They are also establishing Industry Connections Academies in the areas of Finance, Information Technology, Health Sciences and Engineering which has increased the number of students earning Work-Based Learning Technical Endorsements with their BOCES partnerships. Through these efforts combined with innovative approaches implemented at the classroom level, Dr. Creeden expressed great pride in the fact that Middletown achieved a Graduation Rate of 94% and a 91% Attendance Rate for the 2024-25 school year.

Mr. Moses Ojeda, principal at Thomas Edison Career and Technical High School in Jamaica, Queens, reviewed the work he and his staff are doing to bridge the gap between technical skills mastery and the essential human skills needed in the workplace. Principal Ojeda described the key components of steps they are taking to align coursework with both the Portrait of a Graduate framework and current industry standards for high performing employees.

The link below includes the slides that were referenced by each of the presenters during the presentation.

https://www.regents.nysed.gov/sites/regents/files/FB%20Monday%20-%20New%20York%20Inspires%20and%20Innovative%20Educational%20Practices%20Updates.pdf

New York State Migrant Education Update

The New York State Migrant Education Program is a federally funded supplemental program that provides educational, health. and social support services for migratory children and their families. The goal of the program is to minimize the disruptions that migratory children experience with educational, cultural and language barriers, social isolation, health services, food insecurity, homelessness and poverty.

Staff members from the program reviewed the specific eligibility qualifications for a child to receive services, how they identify and recruit students, and the scope of services they provide both during the school year and the summer months. It was noted that the majority of eligible migrant students are recruited from apple, dairy, and maple syrup farms.

The program is supported by a Statewide Identification and Recruitment – Technical Assistance Support Center on the SUNY Oneonta campus and nine regional centers located around the state.

The link below includes the slides that were referenced during the presentation.

https://www.regents.nysed.gov/sites/regents/files/P-12%20-%20Education%20of%20Migratory%20Children.pdf

Presentation of Comprehensive School-Based Mental Health Briefs: A Framework to Strengthen Student Well-Being

Staff members from the NYSED Office of Student Support Services introduced a set of guidance resources designed to strengthen student well-being. The Comprehensive School – Based Mental Health Briefs were developed to support schools with developing coordinated, tiered systems to promote social-emotional health for all students and align with Multi-Tiered System of Supports Framework (MTSS) concepts,

the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework, and the Portrait of a Graduate competencies.

The Six Briefs cover the following themes:

Brief 1 – The Role of School Leaders

Brief 2 – Mental Health Teaming

Brief 3 – School, Family and Community Partnerships

Brief 4 – School Climate and Culture

Brief 5 – Tier 1 – Promotion and Prevention

Brief 6 – Tiers 2 & 3 – Targeted and Intensive Interventions

The link below includes slides that were referenced during the presentation and contain a concise list of best practices associated with each brief.

https://www.regents.nysed.gov/sites/regents/files/P-12%20-%20Comprehensive%20School-Based%20Mental%20Health%20Briefs%20-%20A%20framework%20to%20strengthen%20student%20well-being.pdf

Archived Summaries:

2026