A Victory for Students: Gifted & Talented Program at PS/IS 217 Is Saved
June 23, 2010
I am pleased to announce that we will continue to have a gifted and talented (G&T) program at PS/IS 217 on Roosevelt Island next year. After the Department of Education announced that there would be no incoming G&T kindergarten class at the school next year, I along with Council Member Jessica Lappin worked with parents to save the program. Now that next year’s kindergarten class has been secured, we will seek to expand the program to make it citywide — bringing some of New York City’s brightest students to Roosevelt Island and securing the Island’s gifted and talented program for the long term.
Below is a joint statement from myself and Council Member Lappin about this exciting news:
“It is with great joy that we are able to announce that the Roosevelt Island gifted and talented program has been saved. Two weeks ago, the Department of Education unilaterally announced that the program would not be accepting a class of kindergarteners for next year. This was the wrong decision and our offices immediately began working with parents and school officials to make it right. At a meeting with us and parents on June 11, the DOE committed to maintaining the program if at least 18 students could be found who were interested in attending. Our offices worked with parents from Manhattan, Queens, and Roosevelt Island to spread the word and recruit families for this program.
“We are pleased to say that as of today, there are 18 students enrolled in the program. There will definitely by a new G&T kindergarten class on Roosevelt Island next fall.
“This is a huge victory for parents who worked so hard and who refused to take no for an answer. More than that, this is a victory for the families who will now have a first-rate gifted and talented program for their children this fall.
“We’d especially like to commend PTA President Nikki Leopold, Principal Mandana Beckman, and Elizabeth Rose of the DOE for their efforts to preserve the G&T program on Roosevelt Island. This is excellent news and we look forward to continuing to watch the G&T program on the Island grow and thrive in the years to come.”
A Victory for Students: Agreement Preserves Teaching Assistants for 2010-11 School Year
May 10, 2010
Over the past several weeks, dozens of concerned parents have contacted me to let me know of their support for maintaining parent association-funded teaching assistants in our public schools during the upcoming 2010-11 school year.
I know the important role teaching assistants play in the lives of students and agree that our public schools cannot afford to lose the benefits of the vital services they provide. The hiring of teaching assistants is popular in New York City for good reason—it allows for more individual attention to students struggling to learn in overcrowded classrooms. Maintaining these positions ensures that students continue to receive the education they deserve.
I am happy to report that today an agreement was reached between the United Federation of Teachers and the New York City Department of Education which will maintain our PA-funded teaching assistants for the 2010-11 school year. The program will be a continuation of the temporary agreement from last summer for the current school year.
While today’s news is a victory for our schools, we must not lose sight of the main goal—a permanent, long-term agreement to maintain our invaluable teaching assistants. Since the temporary solution was reached last year, I have worked very hard to bring the UFT and DOE back to the negotiating table in order to develop a comprehensive plan for the future. I will continue to work with the DOE, UFT, our parent leaders, and school administrators to ensure that a long-term solution is reached as soon as possible.
Support for the Creation of PS 267
March 10, 2010
Last night I delivered testimony to the Panel for Education Policy (PEP) in support of the proposal to co-locate P.S. 267, a new elementary school, in the P.S. 158 building beginning in the 2010-11 school year. This proposal represents a big victory for East Side students and their parents, offering immediate relief from school overcrowding and avoiding the earlier, much criticized plan to create a “mega-school.” The new PS 267 will have its own administration and will move into its own permanent location in the former Manhattan Ear Eye and Throat Hospital (MEETH) building on East 63rd Street.
The PEP will be holding a final vote on the proposal at its regular public meeting on March 23, at 6:00 pm in the Michael J. Petrides School, 715 Ocean Terrace in Staten Island.
My testimony is below.
3.9.10 PS 267 Public Hearing Statement
Opposition to Dept. of Education Rezoning Proposal
December 14, 2009
The Upper East Side has faced a steadily worsening overcrowding crisis for the past several years. Schools have been forced to convert art rooms, libraries, and even closets into instructional space to keep pace with rising enrollments. A number of new school projects on the Upper East Side are already or will soon be coming to fruition. These new seats should help ease the space crunch. The District 2 Community Education Council (CEC) and New York City Department of Education (DOE) rightfully understand that rezoning will be needed in order to make effective use of the new school capacity that is becoming available.
However, I do not believe that the DOE’s proposal for the space at PS 158 that will become available after East Side Middle School relocates is appropriate.
The bottom line is that the proposals put forth by the DOE create a school that is simply too big. On the East Side, we are fortunate enough to have supportive, nurturing schools of reasonable sizes. Creating a mega-school in the PS 158 building would be detrimental both to the existing PS 158 community and to the students who would be rezoned to attend the school.
Research from both the Brookings Institute and the Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy found that student learning tends to diminish in schools that enroll over 800 students. In addition, it becomes significantly more difficult to build the sense of community that is the hallmark of successful schools in a school of more than 1,000 students.
I, along with Council Member Jessica Lappin and Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, wrote to the CEC to urge it to reject the rezoning proposal and instead adopt a plan to incubate a new elementary school, with its own zone, at the PS 158 site. You can download a copy of that letter from the Publications section of this website.
The Executive Budget: Beginning the Conversation About Shared Sacrifice
December 19, 2008
Governor David Paterson presents the 2009-10 Executive Budget to the NYS Legislature.
As we all expected, the Executive Budget is the result of a painful reality of our difficult economic situation. It demonstrates what we have known for months: balancing the budget will require shared sacrifice.
I am very aware of the obligation that I share with my colleagues to ensure that necessary cuts and tax increases are done in such a way to ensures that higher education remains affordable, the commitment to funding our schools is maintained, quality health care is available to every New Yorker, and that mass transit is adequately funded.
There are many cuts that I am uncomfortable with as I am sure the Governor is. As an example, Senator Tom Duane and I wrote to Governor Paterson in November to ask that the relatively small amount of funding allocated for the Bridges to Health program be maintained, only to discover today that its funds have been frozen and its full implementation delayed for many years. This is a program to provide services to medically fragile, severely traumatized, and chronically disabled children in the foster care system. I will continue to advocate for its funding.
Despite this, I respect that the Governor made tough choices from a poor set of available options and I did not envy his task. Over 50% of our state’s spending is designated to healthcare and education, so it is impossible to avoid cuts in these areas when balancing our budget. I also know that our budget can’t be balanced on cuts, nor would I want it to be. You have probably heard that the Governor has proposed a new range of taxes and fees, some of which have gotten more attention than others (like the ’sweet tax’ proposed tax on non-diet soda drinks which Governor Paterson recently defended in an editorial posted on CNN.com).
Two of these fee increases concerned drivers; the first is a 25% increase on car registration fees and the second is a 25% increase in driver license fees. I wrote to the Governor in November to suggest these fee increases (see my blog post on this topic, Increasing Driver License, Car Registration Fees Could Raise $550 Million for Cash-Starved MTA), and I am happy to see them included in the budget. But I am disappointed that these fees are not designated for mass transit funding as I suggested, but rather to plug holes in the general operating budget. It is important to me to ensure that even as we repair the massive shortfalls in the 2009 budget we plan for mass transit funding for the future. Designating funding for mass transit from drivers’ fees can achieve both.
We are in the midst of an unprecedented global financial crisis that threatens our economic security. People are losing their jobs and their homes. Pensions are losing their value and families are making horrible choices about necessities. I have no doubt that we will pass a budget that contains significant cuts in spending and increases in fees and taxes. And I will continue to demand that this sacrifice is shared and not shouldered by the most vulnerable New Yorkers. Continuing to advocate for more progressive tax structures is one way that I will work to achieve this.
It is very important to me to hear what you think about the Executive Budget. It is by no means a final version of what we will pass in 2009. The Governor himself emphasized yesterday that it is a starting point for dialogue. The PDF of the Governor’s presentation can be found on his 2009-10 Executive Budget website.
More on School Overcrowding
October 24, 2008
Here is an audio file you can listen to of a recent interview I did about the problem of school overcrowding with CNPI reporter, Florence Wapimewah, in late September. The interview was recently aired on WBAI 99.5FM.
Click here to listen to this interview: Interview with Assembly Member Micah Z. Kellner on School Overcrowding
The ABCs of A Better Capital Plan for Our Schools
September 23, 2008
Councilmember Jessica Lappin and I spoke to PS 158 PTA President Erinn Deri this morning before class started to distribute postcards as part of a campaign to encourage Mayor Bloomberg and Education Chancellor Klein to give schools more capital support.
For the next few weeks I will be visiting schools throughout our communities asking parents, teachers, and concerned residents to sign postcards to Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein asking them to give students the small classes they need to learn and grow.
It clear that school overcrowding is a growing problem throughout New York City and especially on the Upper East Side—and it is a problem that will not go away until the Department of Education and the Mayor take action to make a proactive change. I am a member of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer’s Task Force on School Overcrowding. Since January, we have been working to create a comprehensive plan to submit to the City which we believe would help solve the overcrowding dilemma. This November, it is critical that the City’s new five-year capital plan for school construction take into account the projected growth in population and residential construction, especially on the Upper East Side.
To that end I am working with the Borough President to promote “The ABCs of A Better Capital Plan”. The ABCs would:
Address overcrowding and implement the city’s state-mandated class-size reduction plan: 20 students per class in K-3 and 23 in all other grades.
Be proactive and plan ahead to add school seats as neighborhoods grow.
Correct the way school capacity is calculated so the loss of art rooms and other critical spaces to overcrowding is acknowledged.
If you are interested in signing a postcard please stop by my office. Together we can ensure that the next generation of New York leaders receives the education that they deserve in schools that we can be proud of.
Assembly Protects Health Care Funding, Schools in Budget Negotiations
August 22, 2008
As the nation’s economic picture worsens, New York has been faced with tough choices about how to keep our fiscal house in order. Earlier this week, the legislature went into special session to find ways to reduce public spending. After difficult negotiations, the Assembly passed a bill that would limit spending by more than $1 billion over the next year and half – reducing this year’s budget by $411 million and next year’s by $600 million. On Wednesday, the revised budget was finalized and signed by the Governor.
I am proud of the tough stance the Assembly took on property taxes. The “circuit breaker” approach what we passed represents real and immediate tax relief to working- and middle-class renters and homeowners, without damaging the fiscal stability of our schools. Maintaining funds for our schools, and holding the State to the task of living up to the principles of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity court decision were major priorities for me personally, and I was proud to work with my colleagues in holding to those principles during such a difficult time.
What’s a ‘circuit breaker’? A lot of people have been asking me that question especially since I was quoted in a New York Sun article on Tuesday, saying that I support that bill (A.11838) instead of a property tax cap. The video (put out by the New York State United Teachers - NYSUT) above gives a very short answer. The union, which represents New York State teachers, has a more complete FAQ on their website.
The Assembly fought hard to ensure that the revised budget avoided deeper cuts to core health care services, like Medicaid. But there is much about the cuts that were approved, like the reductions in premiums paid to insurers (and so ultimately to doctors), that concerns me greatly. I am also disappointed by the reduction of aid to the City University of New York (CUNY). And I was dismayed that funds for accessible polling stations were chopped.
The Governor issued this press release which gives an accounting of the cuts, which are largely across-the-board 6% spending reductions, with some important excceptions. Also, here is a link to a video of the press conference held by Governor Paterson, Assembly Speaker Silver, and other leaders of the Legislature after the budget was finalized.
Kellner, Lappin Help UES Kindergarteners with School Placement after DOE Drops the Ball
August 14, 2008
Jennifer Sapienza (left) and Pankaj Jha (not pictured), two parents of UES schoolchildren, attended a press conference (the press release is available here) with Council Member Jessica Lappin and myself to draw attention to an ongoing problem with kindergarten school placements for UES families living in the PS 151 zone.
The new school year is fast approaching, and while some parents rush around for new lunchboxes, others are still waiting to find out where their children will be heading to class in September. With 19 days left to go before the big first day, a number of UES parents (the DOE says approximately 10 families) who live in the District 2 Zone 151 area were left hanging when a “computer error” by the NYC Department of Education resulted in a stressful summer.
The PS 151 school, which was closed almost 10 years ago, has never been replaced so when parents living in this zone apply for kindergarten they are entering a lottery. This year, an error resulted in a number of parents receiving letters stating that their young children had spots at PS 158, the Bayard Taylor School - but they were later told that this was an error, and no spots existed for their kids.
These parents contacted my office and Council Member Jessica Lappin’s office for help but after 2 months of phone calls with the Department of Education there was still no resolution. After we held a press conference today at least one of our parents received an email from the DOE saying that her child now had a placement secured.
But why did it have to come to this? Looking at the bigger picture, it is clear that a long-term sustainable plan must be made by the DOE to deal with the increasing and disgraceful overcrowding problem at Upper East Side schools. Obviously, an immediate plan is also necessary to help the parents in the PS 151 zone so that next year is not a repeat of this one. We need more spots for Upper East Side residents, including making better use of existing resources, planning for growth, and new school seats. I blogged awhile ago (”Kellner to DOE: PS 66 is the Solution to School Overcrowding on the UES“) about how we need a rezoning. These sorts of incidents underscore this desperate reality.
Starting Kindergarten is a particularly stressful time for the families of young children that takes a lot of adjusting to. In order to ensure a smooth transition, it is important that families have enough time to prepare for that big day. What happened to the Sapienza and Jha families was unacceptable and I will be keeping tabs on how the DOE works to ensure these sorts of problems do not cause hardships for next year’s new kindergarteners.
$250K for New Computers at the Ella Baker School
August 5, 2008
The Ella Baker School is an incredible K-8 elementary located in the Julia Richman Education Complex on East 67th Street in my district. Every time I have visited Ella Baker, I have been struck by the high quality educational environment that the school provides to our children.
When Principal Laura Garcia wrote to ask for help in securing funds for purchasing multimedia PC labs and science carts and to upgrade obsolete computer hardware, I made this request my highest priority.
Part of the purpose of the new equipment is also to allow parents to learn more about computers during monthly workshops so that families are able to be partners in their children’s education.
Having the latest technology available for elementary students is not an option in the 21st century – it is a basic requirement for providing a modern and competitive education. I am very proud to have been able to secure $250,000 in state funds for computers and multimedia equipment for the Ella Baker School.
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My community office is here to help you.
315 East 65 Street
New York, NY 10065
Tel 212-860-4906
Fax 917-432-2983
Email KellnerM@assembly.state.ny.us
