My fact: Would Bill Thompson make such a strong statement? Watch he and Quinn jump all over de Blasio at tonight's debate.
- FACT: Speaker Quinn Said Bloomberg's Schools Chancellor Joel Klein Did a "Terrific Job"
- FACT: Key Bloomberg Education Backer Said That Schools Will Probably Still Close if Quinn Became Mayor and That "The Policy Itself May Be Not All That Different [From Bloomberg's]"
- FACT: Speaker Quinn Refuses to Support a Moratorium on School Closures.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 3, 2013
CONTACT: DAN LEVITAN dan@berlinrosen.com, ( 646) 200-5315
CONTACT: DAN LEVITAN dan@berlinrosen.com, (
DE BLASIO BLASTS NEW BLOOMBERG SCHOOL CO-LOCATION PLANS, DEMANDS SPEAKER QUINN SUPPORT A MORATORIUM
Half of New DoE School Co-Location Plans Would Put Schools over 100% Capacity
Speaker Quinn Once Again Sides with Bloomberg by Refusing to Support a Moratorium
De Blasio Renews Call for Moratorium on School Closures until a New Process is in Place
Brooklyn, NY – Public
Advocate and Democratic candidate for mayor Bill de Blasio today
criticized Mayor Bloomberg’s eleventh-hour efforts to push through
deeply divisive school co-location plans, and blasted Bloomberg’s chief
ally Speaker Quinn for refusing to call for a moratorium on school
co-locations and closures – effectively acquiescing to these
eleventh-hour changes.
“If
Mayor Bloomberg has his way while his closest political partner Speaker
Quinn stays silent, nearly half of the proposed co-location plans will
put schools over 100% capacity. This means larger class sizes for our
students,” said de Blasio. “Bloomberg’s proposals are a cynical effort
to lock communities into permanent changes while ignoring community
voices, and Speaker Quinn’s refusal to support a moratorium is letting
Bloomberg have his way.”
Bill
de Blasio is calling for an immediate halt to co-location and closure
plans for the remainder of Bloomberg’s term and until a new process can
be put in place. Despite years of community opposition and multiple
efforts at reforming this deeply broken process, the thirty recently
released Educational Impact Statements – the plans that outline
significant changes in school utilization – unfortunately represent
“business as usual” for Mayor Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn. Of the
proposals released, nearly half will place school buildings over
100% capacity. In two proposals, when the school is fully phased-in,
the buildings will be close to 135% capacity.
This
is just the latest example of Speaker Quinn refusing to challenge Mayor
Bloomberg, and routinely defending the Bloomberg status quo. When
schools faced unfair co-locations and closures due to Department of
Education’s lack of community engagement - such as the proposed closure
of P.S. 114 in Brooklyn - Speaker Quinn stood on the sidelines. When
parents and communities sought real involvement when schools faced
disastrous co-locations, particularly during the Brandeis Educational
Complex co-location, she was silent. De Blasio, in contrast, led the
charge in fighting these wrong-headed policies. And Speaker Quinn
praised Joel Klein as schools chancellor.
“The
next administration deserves the opportunity to shape the future of the
educational system in New York City, not be saddled with another
Bloomberg plan offered in the twilight of his term that will last long
after he is gone,” said de Blasio. “Speaker Quinn seems content to
stand by and let that happen. These thirty "schools – nearly half of which will be left overcrowded – deserve better."
As
Mayor, de Blasio will create real reforms in the co-location process
and elevate the voices of parents. He will create a class size reduction
plan – not push through plans that contribute to overcapacity. De
Blasio will also expand successful parent engagement models and ensure
that district superintendent offices are proactively empowering
communities with information about their schools. As Mayor, de Blasio
will improve Mayoral Control and expand the role of Community Education
Councils in decisions relating to co-locations, ensuring greater
community influence. He will make sure all of our schools have great
leaders, open 100 community schools over the next four years, and
provide universal pre-kindergarten and expanded after school programs by
asking the wealthy to pay a little more in taxes.
FACT: Speaker Quinn Refuses to Support a Moratorium on School Closures. City
Council Speaker Christine Quinn refused to attend a press conference
with public school parents calling for an immediate moratorium on school
closings. Quinn said, "I do not support a moratorium [on school
closures]". [NY Post, 1/24/2013; New Yorkers for Great Public Schools, "Quinn Along Among Democrats in Not Supporting Moratorium", 1/31/2013]
FACT:
Key Bloomberg Education Backer Said That Schools Will Probably Still
Close if Quinn Became Mayor and That "The Policy Itself May Be Not All
That Different [From Bloomberg's]". In
a Jan 2013 Wall Street Journal story, Joe Williams, executive director
of Democrats for Education Reform, praised Quinn's approach on school
closings. The story states, "Williams said schools will probably still
close if Quinn ends up leading the city" and that "the policy itself may
be not all that different" from Mayor Bloomberg's proposals. [Wall
Street Journal, "In Speech, Quinn Spells Out Education Platform", 1/15/2013]
FACT: Speaker Quinn Said Bloomberg's Schools Chancellor Joel Klein Did a "Terrific Job". According
to the New York Times, "She [Quinn] praised the mayor’s selection of
Ms. Black’s predecessor, Joel I. Klein, a former federal prosecutor,
saying he had done a 'terrific job.'” [NY Times, "As Candidates Vow to Hire Educator as Chancellor, Quinn Keeps Options Open", 5/8/2013]
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