Bill de Blasio on Education

	Bill de Blasio on Education NYC Mayor; Democratic Presidential Challenger (withdrawn)

OpEd: de Blasio has failed NYC schools

Mayor de Blasio hasn't been fair to the roughly 1 million children who attend New York City Public Schools. He's managed to squander more than a billion dollars on programs that don't educate and high-paid consultants that don't produce. He hasn't been fair to the faculty who want to teach and all the kids who want to learn by lessening the disciplinary authority of teachers, which leads to chaos in the classroom and puts students' safety at risk. Source: Townhall.com: "Fairness PAC" by Assemblywoman N.Malliotakis , May 17, 2019

Pre-K and 3-K for All

Mayoral accountability of our school system has led to record-high graduation rates and record-low dropout rates, the creation of Pre-K and 3-K for All, and the ability to provide all of our 1.1 million school children with access to an excellent education regardless of their zip code. The buck stops with me, and I vow to continue fighting on behalf of our children and to continue working with all of our parents whose voices help improve our school system every day. Source: Mayoral press release, "FY2020," NYC.gov , Apr 1, 2019

75% of kids graduated High School; 59% went on to college

We set the all-time record for graduation rate in NYC. Today, three quarters of our kids graduate high school on time.

I want to put that in perspective for you. That number was less than 50% not long ago in this town. Less than 50% graduated on time before we had mayoral control of education, which created real accountability.

And here's something else we should be proud of: 59% of kids who graduated our public schools went on to higher education last year--another all-time record.

Source: 2019 State of the City address , Jan 10, 2019

Add two Muslim holidays to public school vacation schedule

New York City will add two Muslim holidays to its public school calendars, making it the largest school district in the United States to do so, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Starting next fall, New York City's 1.1 million students in the nation's biggest public school system will get days off for the most-observed holidays in Islam, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. "This is a common sense change, and one that recognizes our growing Muslim community and honors its contributions to our City," de Blasio said. Source: Religion News Service on 2020 presidential hopefuls , Mar 5, 2015

Stop closures & develop a minimum of 100 community schools

Bill de Blasio successfully fought unfair school closures, including the closing of P.S. 114 in Canarsie and Wadleigh in Harlem. Struggling schools require specific plans to address their needs, which is exactly what Bill de Blasio did for P.S. 114--and it's what he will do for every struggling school.

High quality schools must be the focal point for serving the needs of students and their families with a cradle to career strategy. New York City has incredible community school models, including Children's Aid Society and Harlem Children's Zone. Yet despite their proven success, these schools only serve a handful of students. Bill de Blasio will create a unified effort to develop a minimum of 100 community schools by the end of his first term. With improved communication among all city agencies--especially the Departments of Education, Homeless Services, and the Administration for Children Services-- the city can make real strides in serving families and students in their communities

Source: 2013 Mayoral campaign website, www.billdeblasio.com , Oct 22, 2013

Create an early warning system before school failures

Bill de Blasio believes that Mayor Bloomberg's closing of more than 140 schools has been an excuse not to address ways to help struggling schools improve and meet our expectations that all students graduate ready for college or a career. The city needs to create an early warning system for schools, so they can receive help before they get on the state's Persistently Low Achieving list. An "Office of Strategic Support," housed in the DOE, will develop intervention strategies in conjunction with the school communities and target individual high-need schools, which will receive short-term, intensive support Source: 2013 Mayoral campaign website, www.billdeblasio.com , Oct 22, 2013

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*Other big-city mayors on Education:*	*Bill de Blasio on other issues:*
Tom Barrett (D,Milwaukee) Bill de Blasio (D,NYC) Rahm Emanuel (D,Chicago) Bob Filner (D,San Diego) Steven Fulop (D,Jersey City) Eric Garcetti (D,Los Angeles) Mike Rawlings (D,Dallas) Marty Walsh (D,Boston) *Former Mayors:* Rocky Anderson (I,Salt Lake City) Tom Barrett (D,Milwaukee,WI) Mike Bloomberg (I,New York City) Cory Booker (D,Newark,NJ) Jerry Brown (D,Oakland,CA) Julian Castro (D,San Antonio,TX) Rudy Giuliani (R,New York City) Phil Gordon (D,Phoenix) Tom Menino (D,Boston) Dennis Kucinch (D,Cleveland,OH) Michael Nutter (D,Philadelphia) Sarah Palin (R,Wasilla,AK) Annise Parker (D,Houston) Jerry Sanders (R,San Diego) Antonio Villaraigosa (D,Los Angeles)	Abortion Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families/Children Foreign Policy Free Trade Govt. Reform Gun Control Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Infrastructure/Technology Jobs Principles/Values Social Security Tax Reform War/Iraq/Mideast Welfare/Poverty

Page last updated: Mar 07, 2022