Public Advocate's Corner

Touring the Earth School

Today, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum visited PS 364 in Manhattan - also known as the Earth School - to meet with administrators, teachers, parents, and students. According to its website, the School's mission is "to support children’s inherent love of learning through curriculum that is active, playful, socially-conscious, and rigorous. The Earth School’s educational program is designed to support children’s academic achievement and to encourage their commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflict and the preservation of the Earth’s resources."

(Left: Gotbaum with Marlon Hosang, Principal of PS 64, and Daniella, Vice Principal of PS 64; Right:Gotbaum with the PTA President, and Jocelyn Walsh, Parent Coordinator for the Earth School)

   

Friday Morning School Visit

(Above, Public Advocate Gotbaum with Principal Sonhando Estwick)

This morning, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum visited Tompkins Square Middle School to speak with teachers, administrators, parents and students. The school is a model of successful community-building and student achievement, and Gotbaum sought to find out why its program is so effective. (Pictured below, from left, senior policy analyst Tomas Hunt, Public Advocate Gotbaum, and Lisa Donlan)

Thompson Survey Questions DOE's Preparation for Overcrowding

On Sunday, Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. released a study detailing the city Department of Education's failure to anticipate and prepare for overcrowding in public schools. As Public Advocate Gotbaum noted in June, the city has had ample time to prepare for this reality. On Sunday, she said:

“A ‘promise’ of mayoral control was that it would lead to greater interagency collaboration to benefit our schools. Over the past seven years this mayor has developed more commercial, residential and sports facilities than any mayor in recent his tory, but failed to ensure that there were enough schools being built. It’s a shame that this mayor hasn’t compelled developers, with all the tax subsidies they’ve received, to build more schools throughout the city.”

Read Comptroller Thompson's full release and report

Thompson Audit Finds DOE's Gross Misallocation of Funds

This audit seems to confirm what we already know about the Department of Education--it undervalues small class size and fails to grasp the benefits that parents and educators all recognize. The DOE is also developing a track record of irresponsible spending. Comptroller Thompson’s audit is important because it paints a clear picture of where DOE’s priorities lie: not in smaller class sizes, but in expensive testing programs and private consultants.

View the Comptroller's Press Release

Gotbaum to DOE: Shape Up!

Yesterday, the DOE and DOHMH released a study (results pictured below, right) which shows that physical fitness may be associated with higher academic achievement among NYC public school students.

The study found that students who scored in the top 5% on their fitness assessments outscored the bottom 5% by an average of 36 percentile points on standardized academic tests.

Childhood obesity continues to be a huge problem in our city: 21% of kindergarten through eighth grade students are obese, and an additional 18% of the City’s students are overweight (chart below).

A report from my office last year, State of Play: A Four-Year Follow-up Survey on NYC Students’ Access to Physical Education, showed that despite a growing obesity crisis in our city, the DOE had failed to provide students with the adequate and legally mandated amount of physical education. The survey found that only 4% of surveyed schools provided their third graders with a P.E. class every day, as mandated by state law.

I'm calling on the DOE to comply with state regulations mandating physical education in order for NYC kids to get the full benefits of fitness. The DOE has an obligation to support and hold schools accountable as necessary until all schools provide the amount of physical education required by state regulation.

I am also asking that they create an annually updated report stating the amount of P.E. provided in each school for each grade level. In order to establish transparency and accountability, the DOE needs to report to the public, particularly parents of public school students, the amount of physical education offered at each school, at least until the lack of compliance with the legal standard is remedied.

Senate's Failure to Renew Mayoral Control

Among the many important pieces of business that are being ignored in Albany right now, it's absolutely shameful that something as important as school governance was pushed aside. I'm pleased to see the Mayor and Borough Presidents are poised to take action but by no means should we buy into the idea that chaos and confusion will follow. I am confident that a new school governance bill will be passed in Albany and there will not be a return to the old system.

Education experts, parents, teachers, and elected officials have devoted months – even years – to studying this complex issue. I should know, because my Commission on School Governance submitted recommendations which served as a blueprint for legislation that recently passed the State Assembly. For personal political interests to jeopardize not just mayoral control, but also important reforms that would increase transparency and parental input, is beyond reproach. While there's no easy solution to this mess, one thing is clear: the State Senate should not be playing politics with our children's education.

Report Shows City Schools Not Fully Prepared for Emergencies

Today, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum released a report which finds that New York City public schools fall short of complying with the requirements of a state law designed to prevent chaos, injury, or loss of life in the event of an emergency. The Public Advocate makes several recommendations for improving emergency preparedness in schools. In light of recent events (on Monday, the number of  deaths due to swine flu in New York City reached 30) the report also recommends measures that will mitigate the effects of health-related emergencies, including pandemic flu.

In a statement, Gotbaum said: 

"Not long ago our city was attacked by terrorists, and our public schools evacuated. Partly because of the SAVE act, every one of our students was safe on 9/11. Still, there were lessons to be learned from that day, and it is troubling that less than eight years later, the schools are not as prepared as they should be. It is critically important that the DOE work to ensure that schools follow all provisions of the SAVE Act and strengthen individual school safety plans."

Read Full Release

Read Gotbaum's report, "Preparing to SAVE: A Survey of Safety Planning at New York City Public Schools."

Protecting the Privacy Rights of Students

Today, I am introducing a resolution that calls on the state legislature to require that students be given “opt-out” forms (along with emergency contact forms) so that they can keep their information private and protected from military recruiters.

The DOE needs to do more to protect the privacy rights of students. I’m encouraged that Chancellor Klein has recognized that the policy of allowing military recruiters to collect student information from the DOE – rather than through school-specific requests – needs to be revised. But the DOE has still not done enough to inform students of their right to opt-out. Students should be informed of this option at the same time they fill out their annual emergency contact forms, beginning in the 9th grade.

It’s still too difficult for parents and students to keep their information private, and it’s time for the state legislature to act.

Gotbaum on Departure of Special Ed Official from DOE

Today, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum said: 

"I'm not surprised to learn that Garth Harries will be moving on after a very brief stint in a newly created special education position; we've come to expect this kind of inconsistency from the DOE.

 

I respect the DOE for recognizing a need to address ongoing problems in the special education system, but I believe this was a last-ditch effort to respond to these problems during an election year. Instead of effectively focusing on improving special education over the last seven years, the DOE decided to bring someone in with no special education background to revamp the system in six months.

 

I look forward to seeing the results and recommendations of Mr. Harries' report, but what is more important is that the DOE fill special education positions with individuals who have relevant backgrounds and are committed to staying until the job is done."

Gotbaum Testifies on Mayoral Control

As Albany legislators near a decision for reauthorizing Mayoral Control, debates on School Governance in New York City intensify. Today, Public Advocate Gotbaum said: "We know there are several different proposals in Albany that would create a more meaningful process for parental participation—and I believe they all have merit. For this reason, I have suggested a process for increasing parental participation. This process mirrors the Contracts for Excellence process, established by the State Legislature, in which parents and the community provide oversight of expenditures related to the Campaign for Fiscal Equity.

"Some of the bills being considered seek to ensure that the Office of the Public Advocate has oversight authority over the DOE - I strongly support this component. I also whole-heartedly endorse the proposal of a “Parent Academy” put forth by the Campaign for Better Schools.  Such an entity where parents can receive training, attend workshops, and receive help from independent advocates, would serve as an essential complement to any process that Albany enacts".

Read the full testimony.