
John Hildebrand
Senior Education Reporterjohn.hildebrand@newsday.comCovering education for Newsday puts reporters to the test – at times, literally.
Some years back, we were getting mail from readers – many of them teachers – contending that the state’s Regents exams seemed to be getting easier. Like most reporters, I’m curious. So I called the state Education Department in Albany, which sponsors the exams, and asked what officials there thought of the readers’ complaints. The response from the state’s education commissioner at the time was quick and to the point: “If you think the exams are so easy,” he messaged, “maybe you should try taking them yourself.” Oops.
The real satisfactions of the job come from the personal connections.
You probably guessed the outcome. Days after making arrangements with a friendly high school, I found myself in a classroom at 7 o’clock in the morning with a photographer, a dozen regulation blue-ink pens and a copy of a Regents exam, ready to go. An excerpt from my story that ran a few days later described what happened next: “After three hours of testing, my shoulders ached and my right hand had gone numb. “But hey, I scored 97 on a Regents exam in U.S. history and government. And I hadn’t cracked a history textbook in 40 years.”
I took the exam at age 67. I’m 82 now, still covering school board meetings, student assemblies and teacher-union rallies. Why? Well, for one thing, I get to write about Long Islanders. I’ve bounced around a lot of places over the years, including three years in Southeast Asia, and I’ve never seen people more engaged in public education than here on the Island and willing to pay the price: $10,000 or more in property taxes per household, in many cases. In return, people here expect quality education and usually get it. That’s why other education reporters and I spend so much time writing about results of science-research contests, Advanced Placement tests and other measures of achievement. And yes, we also write about school budgets, taxes and administrators’ salaries.
This is my 47th year covering education. I have a few plaques on the wall to mark the passage of time, including four first-place awards from the Education Writers Association, the national organization for journalists in our field. Still, the real satisfactions of the job come from the personal connections: There are those made while working, of course. And there’s three children that my wife and I put through public schools, five grandchildren now enrolled, a daughter who taught in special education, and a daughter-in-law who’s still teaching.
Here’s to them.
John Hildebrand's Work
- Covering Long Island like no one else canJanuary 3, 2023 8:39 am
- LI school property taxes could rise an average of 2.62% in 2025-26John Hildebrand and Michael R. EbertMarch 14, 2025 5:00 am
- Regents exam exemptions in emergencies get preliminary OKJohn HildebrandMarch 10, 2025 4:55 pm
- The latest AP test rankings are out. See how NY, LI fared.John Hildebrand and Michael R. EbertMarch 10, 2025 5:00 am
- 11 LI schools, 11 districts cited by state as needing improvementJohn Hildebrand and Michael R. EbertFebruary 13, 2025 5:00 am
- Median teacher salaries on LI rise to $130G or more in some districts, payroll data findsJohn Hildebrand and Michael R. EbertJanuary 31, 2025 5:00 am
- 3 LI school districts under fiscal stress, state comptroller saysJohn HildebrandJanuary 24, 2025 10:51 am
- LI schools would get aid boost under Hochul plan; see how much your district would getJohn Hildebrand and Michael R. EbertJanuary 21, 2025 8:03 pm
- School property tax hikes capped at 2% for 2025-26, comptroller saysJohn HildebrandJanuary 15, 2025 12:40 pm
- Voters reject Plainview-Old Bethpage district's $114M bond packageJohn Hildebrand and Nicholas GrassoJanuary 14, 2025 10:43 pm
- State officials review plan to 'fast track' teaching-license suspensions over sex abuse accusationsJohn Hildebrand and Jim BaumbachJanuary 13, 2025 8:12 pm
- Plainview-Old Bethpage's $114M school bond proposal would raise taxes an average of $549 per yearJohn HildebrandJanuary 10, 2025 5:00 am
- English Regents exam scores up on LI; see results in your districtJohn Hildebrand and Michael R. EbertDecember 26, 2024 5:00 am
- State auditors flagged 12 LI districts for too much money in reserve. A think tank has proposed solutionsJohn HildebrandDecember 16, 2024 5:00 am
- After outcry on LI, state clarifies school regionalization plans are voluntaryJohn HildebrandDecember 9, 2024 3:47 pm
- State test results: 48.1% of Long Island students scored proficient in EnglishJohn Hildebrand and Michael R. EbertNovember 25, 2024 5:00 am
- State scores are down in English and MathJohn HildebrandNovember 25, 2024 12:00 am
- Alternative high school graduation requirements would start in 2027John HildebrandNovember 4, 2024 12:41 pm
- A seismic shift in high school graduation requirements is coming. How soon may become clear this week.John HildebrandNovember 2, 2024 5:00 am
- Longtime Regents representative Roger Tilles recovering from heart attack, plans to seek another termJohn HildebrandOctober 29, 2024 3:05 pm
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