Unlike other neighboring counties, St. Lawrence County schools will not be affected by the State Education Department's decision to schedule the 2012 ELA (English Language arts) state exams in mid-April.

However, the state’s date change is wreaking havoc in other neighboring county districts, and state senators Joe Griffo and Patty Ritchie are calling on the state to repeal its decision.

Potsdam and Canton central school calendars show spring break will be held April 9-13, the week before the state exams are slated.

The state education department just announced it moved the test dates from May to mid-April, causing many school districts to scramble.

Meanwhile, state representative are expressing frustration about the decision, indicating the state is showing disregard for school and family vacation schedules that had already been in place.

Senator Joseph A. Griffo (R-C-IP, Rome) today gave the education department a grade of 'F' for the move.

“The state has made a decision long after the local schools have made theirs, and now is saying that the decision is what it is, regardless of the inconvenience that it causes anyone and everyone,” Griffo said. “This is an absurd situation of state bureaucracy working without any regard for the people it supposedly serves. Just a little bit of on-the-ground research by the highly paid state bureaucrats in the Department would have learned that

most districts set their calendars in the spring. It would have been a simple matter to avoid a conflict. Instead, the state has gone ahead and scheduled the tests and told local districts that this is the way it is going to be.”

Senator Patty Ritchie is calling on the state’s Education Commissioner and Board of Regents to reverse the 11th hour change.

In a letter to state Education Commissioner John King and Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch, Senator Ritchie admits she was flabbergasted that the state would change the test schedules so close to the start of the school year, when districts had already set—and in many cases, mailed—their school year calendars to parents and teachers.

She noted 20 of the 29 school districts she represents have scheduled spring break during the time of the exams.

“I am dumbfounded that your agency would make such a sweeping change, affecting the plans of tens of thousands of parents, students and families, with so little advance notice,” Senator Ritchie said. “Administrators have told me that, though difficult and potentially costly to their districts, they can make the schedule change—but not, in the words of one, without looking “foolish” to taxpayers and parents. Frankly, I agree, and believe that this notice defies all our efforts to implant common sense and responsiveness into state government.”

Griffo said the issue goes beyond potential inconvenience regarding vacation plans.

“These are very important exams. Giving an exam in the middle of what is supposed to be time off is going to have a negative impact on the scores of the students who do take the tests. The right thing to do in this case is sit down to negotiate an alternative that will work, and not simply act as the heavy-handed state coming in after local decisions are made.”

Griffo said the state should try to work with schools and not ram another bad decision down local throats.

“The goal of our education system should be to do the right thing for students. Right now, we have some sort of bureaucratic showdown instead of decision-making that works in the best interests of our students. I call upon the State Education Commissioner, and even Gov. Cuomo if need be, to get involved and resolve this situation now before school starts so that New York’s students are not penalized for bad decisions made in the state bureaucracy.”