Dec 23, 2025
by Dr. Gladys I. Cruz District Superintendent, Questar III BOCES Recent reporting about the federal budget process underscores something those of us in public education know all too well: national debates in Washington, DC have real consequences in our classrooms. As...
Dec 1, 2025
by Dr. Gladys I. Cruz District Superintendent, Questar III BOCES Career and technical education (CTE) programs offered by BOCES, school districts, and community colleges, are essential. Modern CTE is not the “vo-tech” of the past. These programs – which include...
Nov 5, 2025
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...
Oct 7, 2025
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...
Sep 11, 2025
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...
Aug 4, 2025
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...
