Fifty Years of the Promise: We Must Not Retreat on IDEA
Fifty years ago this month, President Gerald Ford signed a law that fundamentally changed American education: the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This landmark legislation wasn’t just a...
A Look at the Changes Impacting Schools this Year
This year, schools locally and across the state have responded to new regulations and expectations for learning. Below is a breakdown of the key shifts: Distraction-free policies: This fall, schools and BOCES implemented a bell-to-bell ban on personal internet-enabled...
Welcoming back our Students
The three words – back to school – evoke a time for new beginnings and possibilities. For more than 28,000 students in our BOCES region of Columbia, Greene and Rensselaer counties, it is a chance to start a new chapter, make new friends, study new subjects, discover...
Many paths after high school by Dr. Gladys I. Cruz, District Superintendent, Questar III BOCES
A June 2025 study by Gallup, Walton Family Foundation, and Jobs for the Future (JFF) revealed that many Generation Z high school students and their parents are unaware of the full range of options available after high school. Titled “Known Unknowns: Gen...
A look at the final state budget and upcoming school budget votes
District Superintendent Dr. Gladys Cruz writes about the final state budget and the May 20th school budget votes in her monthly column.