The case for eliminating New York’s Board of Regents

The New York State Board of Regents is a governing body that oversees school districts and public higher education institutions. While its intended purpose is to ensure quality education and fiscal responsibility, in practice, the Board often hinders institutional progress, limits academic freedom, and adds unnecessary bureaucracy. Eliminating the New York State Board of Regents would lead to greater institutional autonomy, increased efficiency, and more effective higher education, elementary, and secondary policies that directly serve students and faculty rather than political or financial interests.

# 1. Excessive Bureaucracy and Inefficiency

One of the main arguments for eliminating the New York State Board of Regents is that it adds unnecessary layers of bureaucracy. Many university systems are already governed by experienced administrators, faculty, and student representatives who understand the needs of their institutions. The New York State Board of Regents, however, often serves as an external entity that makes decisions without fully understanding the unique challenges faced by individual colleges and universities. This bureaucratic structure slows down decision-making processes and creates inefficiencies in areas such as budget allocation, academic policy, and faculty hiring. The Board of Regents also interferes with the curriculum challenges of both elementary and secondary schools. Board members simply respond to the wishes of New York politicians rather than offering support for creative and engaging teaching and learning practices. In addition, Board of Regents members are unfamiliar with elementary and secondary alternative teaching and learning best practices which outweigh the standardized testing format they continue to endorse. By removing the New York State Board of Regents, institutions would be able to streamline their governance structures, allowing for more responsive and flexible decision-making. Universities could allocate resources more efficiently, eliminating delays caused by external approvals from the Board. This would ultimately lead to better use of taxpayer money and tuition dollars, ensuring that funds are directed toward student success rather than administrative overhead. In addition, school districts would be permitted to develop curriculums that abandon one-size-fits-all.

# 2. Political Interference in Education

Another major issue with the New York State Board of Regents is the extent of political influence in its decision-making. The regents are appointed by state legislatures, making them more accountable to political interests than to students, faculty, or the broader academic community. This often results in policies that reflect political agendas rather than the needs of higher education institutions and school districts. For example, boards may push for budget cuts, tuition hikes, or controversial policies on curriculum and faculty hiring that align with political ideologies rather than educational best practices. This politicization can harm academic freedom, limit diversity in research and teaching, and undermine the independence that universities need to thrive. Eliminating the New York State Board of Regents would reduce political interference, allowing academic institutions to be governed by those with firsthand experience in education rather than politically appointed figures with little direct knowledge of higher education and elementary and secondary curriculum.

# 3. Greater Institutional Autonomy

Universities and school districts function best when they have the autonomy to govern themselves according to their unique missions and student populations. The New York State Board of Regents often imposes one-size-fits-all policies that fail to consider the diverse needs of different institutions. Large research universities, community colleges, and regional institutions all have distinct goals and challenges, yet the New York State Board of Regents tends to implement uniform policies that may not be suitable for all. The Board of Regents lacks the inventiveness curriculums needed today. It especially lacks the understanding and intuition project-based learning, technology and careers mentoring play in the secondary classroom. By eliminating the New York State Board of Regents, universities and school systems could operate under a more decentralized model, where governance is handled by those directly involved in the institution. A board of university faculty, school administrators, and teachers could have a greater say in curriculum development, hiring decisions, and financial planning. This would lead to policies that are more tailored to the needs of individual institutions and their students, improving overall educational quality and outcomes.

# 4. Enhanced Accountability to Students and Faculty

The New York State Board of Regents is often disconnected from the students and faculty it is supposed to serve. Its members are typically business leaders, politicians, political appointees, or other professionals with limited experience in academia. As a result, their decisions may not always reflect the best interests of the people most affected by higher education or school district policies. Without the Board, decision making authority could be transferred to more accountable bodies, such as school administrators, university administrators and faculty members who work directly with students. This would create a more democratic and transparent system in which those with the greatest stake in education have a stronger voice.

# Conclusion

The New York State Board of Regents is an outdated and ineffective governing structure that creates unnecessary bureaucracy, allows political interference in higher education, limits institutional autonomy, and reduces accountability to students and faculty. It has done little to nothing to encourage universities to become more creative in its approach to teaching and learning, It also has done little to nothing to improve the educational goals and outcomes in the city of Rochester and other large urban areas. By eliminating the Board, universities and school districts would have greater flexibility, improved efficiency, and the ability to make decisions based on academic expertise rather than political or financial motivations. If the goal is to create a higher education system and school districts that truly serve students, faculty, and the broader academic community, then eliminating the New York State Board of Regents is a necessary step toward meaningful reform.

Dennis Francione
Retired school administrator, and author of “No Justice for Dean”