Bethany Bump is reporting at Capitol Confidential several dozen educators from across New York have penned an open letter to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Common Core task force urging the 15-member panel to improve the learning standards, not dismantle them. High Achievement New York, a pro-Common Core group of parents, teachers, business and community leaders, released the letter Thu., Nov. 5. The group called a decision to dismantle the learning standards disastrous for educators and students. The educators wrote, "...it would send a terrible message to students. We would be telling them that if something worthwhile is hard to get right, it should be abandoned rather than doing the hard work of improvement.” The task force will host simultaneous public hearings on the standards at five different locations across the state Fri., Nov. 6. Read the full letter at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.