Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan welcomes Regent Geraldine Chapey to the Board of Regents. From left, Assemblywoman Deborah Glick Higher Education Chair Committee, Mr. Eugene Pasternak, NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Regent Chapey, Assembly Education Committee Chair Catherine Nolan, Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, and Regent Chapey’s daughter, Dr. Geraldine Chapey.

“The Assembly Majority is committed to ensuring that our children receive the proper education and skills to become the outstanding achievers of the future,” said Silver.

“The addition of Betty Rosa and Lester Young as well as the return of Geraldine Chapey will bring knowledge, expertise and talent to the Board of Regents. These distinguished individuals will help guide our continued effort to ensure a quality education for every child in our state,” said Nolan.

Regent Chapey will continue to represent the eleventh judicial district which includes all of Queens County. She was first elected to the Board of Regents in 1998 and re-elected in 2003. Her distinguished career includes serving as a New York City Board of Education administrator, directing and supervising city-wide programs on both the senior and elementary school levels in regular and special education. She currently serves as Chair of the Audit Committee for the Board of Regents.

New member of the Board of Regents for the 11th Judicial District, Dr. Betty Rosa with members of the New York State Assembly including Assemblyman Luis Diaz, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, Speaker Pro Tem, Assemblywoman Aurelia Greene, Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, Assemblyman Carl Heastie, Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr., Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., Senator Efrain Gonzalez Jr., and Assemblyman Jose Rivera.

“Regent Chapey has dedicated her life to education through her work as a full academic professor at a university, a school board member and president, educational researcher and published writer. She possesses an energy and enthusiasm that few could match and we are thrilled to see her return to this position to represent Queens,” said Nolan.

Dr. Lester Young is currently an associate professor at Long Island University Graduate School of Education. Throughout his impressive career he has held positions of teacher, guidance counselor, Supervisor of Special Education Services, principal and has contributed greatly to the education community in New York City. Dr. Young will serve as Regent at-large. He is serving the last two of a five-year term previously held by Adelaide L. Sanford.

	Regent at-large, Dr. Lester Young, with New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan Education Committee Chair.

Board members are elected to five-year terms by a joint session of the state Legislature. There is one regent for each of the state’s 12 judicial districts and four at-large members.

A3524 Nolan The purpose of this legislation is to protect the rights of certain specified school district personnel when a school district takes over a program formerly operated by a Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) and vice versa. This legislation is in response to years of unnecessary litigation and judicial holdings surrounding the transfer and recall rights of BOCES and school district personnel. These amendments are not intended to reflect a change in the law, but rather are intended as a clarification that the Legislature did not intend to exclude other education professionals from the protections of the Education Law. This bill was reported to the Assembly Floor.

A7765 Aubry The purpose of this bill is to provide for the defense and indemnification of parents serving in certain authorized positions in New York City community school districts in suits filed by school officials. This bill protects a person who is elected, selected or appointed by a parent association, parent-teacher association or a school based management team from civil actions arising from their official responsibilities which are brought on by a community board member, community superintendent or school principal. Furthermore, the city school district will provide for the defense of the person, unless a conflict of interest exists. The bill was reported to the Codes Committee.