Drumbeat of Stories Reveals Dire Conditions in Renewal Schools

New York, NY – Families for Excellent Schools’ CEO Jeremiah Kittredge released the following statement today in response to recent stories detailing the poor conditions in New York City’s Renewal Schools.

Jeremiah Kittredge, CEO, Families for Excellent Schools:

“With each passing day comes a new story that reveals the dire conditions in Mayor de Blasio’s Renewal Schools — from the students who fear for their safety every day, to the principal who cooked the books to make his school look better, to the students who are tragically unprepared to succeed on this week’s state tests. Though the administration merged or closed eight more of Renewal Schools last weekend, thousands of students remain trapped in these failing schools.”

Recent Stories:

March 26, New York Post: Principal in grade-fixing scandal loses gig — but spared ax
March 28, New York Times: Pressure Builds for City’s Renewal Schools as State Tests Begin
March 29, New York Daily News: EXCLUSIVE: Queens’ Richmond Hill High School students fear for their lives as serious fights break out on campus

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Statement on Panel for Educational Policy Vote to Close Eight Renewal Schools

New York, NY – Families for Excellent Schools’ CEO Jeremiah Kittredge released the following statement in response to last night’s Panel for Educational Policy vote to close or merge eight Renewal schools.

Jeremiah Kittredge, CEO, Families for Excellent Schools:

“We already knew that Mayor de Blasio’s Renewal School program was failing and last night’s vote to close or merge just eight Renewal Schools is proof that his team still isn’t willing to put students first. Six renewal high schools and 23 renewal elementary schools that will remain open next year have lower graduation rates and fewer students performing at grade level than those that were voted on last night. If the Mayor wants to do what’s best for New York City students, he should abandon this failed experiment and give parents the public school choices they deserve.”

Six of the renewal high schools that will remain open next year — or nearly 20 percent of those currently operating — reported graduation rates below Leadership Institute’s, which the Panel for Educational Policy voted to close last night.

23 of the renewal elementary and middle schools that will remain open next year — or nearly 40 percent of those currently operating — reported ELA-Math pass rates below MS 584’s, which the Panel for Educational Policy voted to close last night.

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Leadership Institute graduated just 51.1 percent of its seniors on time last year – but six renewal high schools that will remain open performed even worse:

· Juan Morel Secondary Campos Secondary School: 49.1% graduation rate
· Bronx High School of Business: 48.5% graduation rate
· DeWitt Clinton High School: 47.7%graduation rate
· Coalition School for Social Change: 46.3% graduation rate
· Banana Kelly High School: 45.2% graduation rate
· August Martin High School: 38.6% graduation rate

Frederick Douglass Academy IV Secondary School and Automotive High School are the two renewal high schools that will merge with their co-located schools. In 2016, they graduated 63.2 percent and 56.3 percent of their seniors on time, respectively.

· 15 renewal high schools that will remain open had lower graduation rates than Frederick Douglass Academy IV
· 10 renewal high schools that will remain open had lower graduation rates than Automotive High School

At the elementary and middle school level, renewal school MS 584 will be closed after just 10 percent of students scored at grade level in reading and math in 2016 – but 23 renewal schools that scored even lower will remain open next year. These include:

· M.S. 301 Paul L. Dunbar: 5 percent of students at grade level
· Henry Street School for International Studies: 5 percent of students at grade level
· The Hunts Point School: 5 percent of students at grade level
· Urban Science Academy: 6 percent of students at grade level
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12PM at City Hall: NYC Parents, Charter School Leaders to Demand de Blasio Administration Stop Systematic Denial of Charter Schools Seeking Public Space

New Report Shows de Blasio Administration Has Denied 79% of Public Charter School Space Applications Since Passage of 2014 Facilities Law

Full Report Linked Here: Pathtopossible.org/spacetolearn

New York, NY – A new report released Thursday shows that the de Blasio administration has denied 83 of the 105 requests for public facilities submitted by public charter schools, despite thousands of open seats in districts where charter schools have sought to expand. This policy has posed massive challenges for New York City’s public charter schools, many of which have been delayed from opening new locations in the city’s high-need communities after being denied public space.

On Thursday afternoon, dozens of parents will join charter leaders on the steps of City Hall and demand that the City stop shutting public charter schools out of public buildings. Ian Rowe of Public Prep, Matthew Levey of the International Charter School of New York, and other leaders of citywide charter networks will explain how the Mayor’s unfair space policies threaten the charter sector’s ability to grow and reach high-need communities.

The de Blasio administration has consistently denied almost every application that public charter schools have submitted for public facilities, even in school districts that have thousands of seats available. These repeated denials have delayed many public charter schools from opening new locations on time, and kept children from attending these great public schools. Currently, more than 44,000 children remain on public charter school waiting lists.

WHO:
Dozens of Public School Parents from Across New York City
Leaders of Citywide Charter Networks
Ian Rowe, CEO of Public Prep
Matthew Levey, Founder of the International Charter School of New York

WHAT:
Dozens of NYC Parents and School Leaders to Demand City Stop Barring Public Charters from Public Space

WHEN:
12:00 PM
Thursday, March 2, 2017

WHERE:
City Hall Steps
New York, NY 10007

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NYC Families, Legislators: Fight For Charter School Students in State Budget

Assm. Marcos Crespo and Robert Rodriguez to Join Parents at Tuesday Event, Call on Legislature to Keep Charter School Students in 2017 Budget

Albany, NY – On February 28th, dozens of New York City parents will join with elected champions to rally in support of public charter schools being given equal treatment in the upcoming state budget. Parents will share their personal stories about their children’s life changing experiences in New York City’s charter schools and call on state leaders to treat their public schools fairly. Assembly Members Marcos Crespo and Robert Rodriguez will stand with charter families in front of the Great Western Staircase.

March is a crucial month for public charter school families, as state leaders will approve the state budget. Public charter school families rallied for fair funding and facilities in Albany this January, and have held hundreds of meetings with elected officials over the past several months.

WHO:
Assembly Member Marcos Crespo, Assembly District 85
Assembly Member Robert Rodriguez, Assembly District 68
Parents from NYC’s Public Charter Schools

WHAT:
NYC Families Take to Albany and Demand that Public Charter Schools Are Included in State Budget

WHEN:
11:30 AM
Tuesday, February 28, 2017

WHERE:
The Great Western Staircase, State Capitol
State St. and Washington Ave
Albany, NY 12224

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Public School Parents Deliver 1,000-Signature Petition Demanding Mayor de Blasio Apologize for College-Readiness Failures

Following Revelation that 63% of High School Seniors are Not Prepared to Attend College, Mayor Asserts that NYC Kids Don’t Need Higher Education

New York, NY – On Friday afternoon, public school parents delivered a petition over 1,000 signatures long to Mayor de Blasio demanding he apologize to the thousands of city students whom he has failed to prepare for college. The petition also called on the de Blasio administration to implement reforms that would raise New York City’s college readiness rate, which currently sits at just 37.2%.

Last Friday, the release of new state data revealed that about 63% of high school seniors across New York City are not prepared to attend college. When asked about the college readiness statistic by a reporter, Mayor de Blasio communicated to parents and the public that children didn’t need to pursue higher education, stating “High school graduation… is a goal unto itself… For a lot of young people, that may be the end of their education; they can still go forward with a high school degree and find good opportunities.”

Countless studies have shown that a college degree is essential in today’s economy. On average, individuals who graduate from college make a million dollars more in the course of their lifetimes than those who end their education after receiving a high school diploma.

“Mayor de Blasio owes New York City’s hard-working students an apology,” said Marilyn Askew, a public school parent from Brooklyn. “His policies have already made it harder for thousands of kids to access higher education, and his words could discourage thousands more from pursuing their college dreams.”

“Because Mayor de Blasio has failed to get students ready for college, he’s decided they simply don’t need to go,” said Sharita Moore-Willis, a public school parent from the Bronx. “This isn’t the message that the leader of New York City should be sending our children, and it isn’t the future I want for my daughter.”

“The fact that two out of every three students leave high school unprepared for college is unacceptable,” said Jeremiah Kittredge, CEO of Families for Excellent Schools. “Just as upsetting is the fact that Mayor de Blasio appears to have given up on students going to college at all.”

The full text of the petition is below:

Dear Mayor de Blasio,

No one disputes the fact that a college degree is vital to success and equal opportunity in today’s economy.

And yet last week, you told NYC parents that a high school education was good enough for their kids, saying: “High school graduation… is a goal unto itself… For a lot of young people, that may be the end of their education; they can still go forward with a high school degree and find good opportunities.”

While your comments are out of touch, what’s even worse is that 63 percent of high school seniors in New York City are not prepared for college on your watch.

Parents and kids know these numbers are unacceptable, but your comments prove that you believe only some kids can go to college and are unwilling to do what it takes to end the Tale of Two School Systems.

We demand that you apologize to the thousands of children you failed to prepare for college and to prioritize reforms so that every NYC student has the chance to get a higher degree.

Thank you.

Signed,
Concerned New Yorkers

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Statement on Upcoming State of the City Address

New York, NY – Families for Excellent Schools’ CEO Jeremiah Kittredge released the following statement in advance of Mayor de Blasio’s State of the City address tonight.

Jeremiah Kittredge, CEO, Families for Excellent Schools:

“We expect to see and hear a lot about Renewal Schools in this evening’s State of the City address, but the fact remains that three years and almost $550 million later, Mayor de Blasio’s signature education program is mired in failure. The de Blasio administration is claiming a pyrrhic victory by pointing to rising graduation rates while ignoring the fact that lower standards may have boosted the number of graduates, but result in tragically few — just 16.5%– being prepared for college.”

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Jeremiah Kittredge, CEO, Families for Excellent Schools:

“Today, Mayor de Blasio told New York City parents that a high school education was good enough for their kids, despite mountains of evidence that a college diploma is the key to equal opportunity. Would the Mayor have accepted that for his own kids? The Mayor should apologize to the thousands of students he failed to prepare for college last year.”

The college readiness rate for New York City’s Class of 2016 was 37.2% — 35.4 points below the graduation rate of 72.6%. 

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Statement on English Language Learner Graduation and Dropout Rates

New York, NY – Families for Excellent Schools’ CEO Jeremiah Kittredge released the following statement on the release of graduation and dropout rate data for English Language Learners in New York City’s Class of 2016.

Jeremiah Kittredge, CEO, Families for Excellent Schools:

“Mayor de Blasio claims to be a mayor for all kids, no matter their background or the language they speak, but in reality he’s failed English Language Learners to a staggering degree. Graduation rates for ELLs have plummeted by almost 10%, and dropout rates have spiked almost 6%.”

Between the 2014-2015 year and the 2015-2016 year, ELL graduation rates have declined by 9.7%.

2015-2016 ELL grad rate: 30.8%
2014-2015 ELL grad rate: 40.5%

Over the same period, dropout rates for ELLs have increased by 5.5%.

2015-2016 ELL dropout rate: 27%
2014-2015 ELL dropout rate: 21.5%

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Jeremiah Kittredge, CEO, Families for Excellent Schools:

“Given how Mayor de Blasio has repeatedly used the offices of New York City to support UFT priorities, from putting bad teachers back in classrooms to eliminating independent checks to see if students are actually learning from their teachers, it’s no surprise that the UFT is revving up their political operation in exchange.”

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Statement on Mayor de Blasio’s Announcement of 38,000 New District School Seats

New York, NY – Families for Excellent Schools’ CEO Jeremiah Kittredge released the following statement in response to the Tuesday announcement that Mayor de Blasio would add 38,000 new district school seats to his budget proposal.

Jeremiah Kittredge, CEO, Families for Excellent Schools:

“Today’s budget proposal will bring the total number of seats the city makes available to district schools – but blocks from public charters – to 182,000.”

• According to 2015-2016 Blue Book Data compiled by the School Construction Authority, there are currently 144,000 empty seats in New York City public schools. LINK
• The addition of 38,000 new school seats in the Mayor’s budget proposal would bring the number of available seats in New York city public schools to 182,000.

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