THELMA P. LALLY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION OFFERS MUCH TO REGION

I was pleased to join local officials at the groundbreaking for the new Thelma P. Lally School of Education Building at the College of Saint Rose in Albany.

By Senator Joseph L. Bruno

Wednesday, October 3, 2001

The College of Saint Rose has a deep presence throughout the Capital Region, especially Rensselaer County. Twenty five percent of the current student body is from the 43rd district and one sixth of the total alumni base also reside in the district.

That is why I was very excited to participate in the recent groundbreaking held at the College of St. Rose�s new Thelma P. Lally School of Education. The facility is a regional center for the education and training of future teachers and current educational professionals. It will serve as a model for educational institutions throughout the state and nation.

In recent years New York State has recognized the critical need for additional teachers and as a result, my Senate colleagues and I passed TEACH and TEACH-2 legislation. Both programs aim to keep experienced teachers in the classroom. These initiatives offer incentives to lure out-of-state teachers, bring retired teachers back to the classroom, provide bonuses to teachers who complete the national certification program while also waiving the certification fees and offers a $10,000 cash bonus award to a "Teacher of the Year."

Saint Rose produces an astonishing one-third of the teachers and school professionals in the Capital District region with 40% of the Saint Rose transfers coming from Rensselaer County�s own Hudson Valley Community College. They partner in a number of areas including degree programs to increase the number of technology educators throughout the state.

The new Lally School will have extensive outreach programs so that young school children from throughout Rensselaer County and the Capital Region will receive after-school and weekend enrichment in a variety of areas including reading, math, computer applications and critical thinking skills.

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