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News Articles by Beth Fertig

Ballot Question 3: Nonpartisan Elections

October 28, 2003

by Beth Fertig

One week from today, New York City voters will get to decide on a measure that could eliminate the Democratic and Republican primaries. Ballot Question Number 3, offered by Mayor Bloomberg, calls for ....

Reading, Writing and Reform: The Backlash

October 22, 2003

by Beth Fertig

It's a month and a half into the new school year and a backlash is brewing against Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein. Yesterday thousands of teachers rallied outside City Hall to protest the n....

Reading, Writing and Reform: Part 6

October 02, 2003

by Beth Fertig

Mayor Bloomberg has promised to reform the city school system with the same zeal his predecessor devoted to the war on crime. Bloomberg - and his chancellor, Joel Klein - have tried to streamline the ....

Reading, Writing and Reform Part 5: The New Math

September 29, 2003

by Beth Fertig

This year, most New York City students are learning from a new curriculum. In our ongoing series Reading, Writing and Reform, WNYC's Beth Fertig looks at the Math Curriculum by visiting PS 298 in Br....

Parent Coordinators

September 22, 2003

by Beth Fertig

This fall, each of the city's 12-hundred schools has a new Parent Coordinator. These coordinators are seen as a potential catalyst in the chancellor's reform of the school system. In our ongoing serie....

9/11: Two Year Anniversary

September 12, 2003

by Beth Fertig

There were memorials and ceremonies throughout the city yesterday marking the second anniversary of the September 11th attacks. WNYC's Beth Fertig has this look at how the city and New Yorkers were mo....

Reading, Writing and Reform: Part 3

September 09, 2003

by Beth Fertig

New York City is home to the nation's largest school system. The start of school yesterday was even more of a challenge. Under the leadership of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the school system has launched....

FDNY Issues Commemorative Medals

September 08, 2003

by Beth Fertig

If you see any New York City firefighters wearing their navy blue dress uniforms, you may be able to tell where they were on September 11th. This year, the fire department gave out commemorative meda....

Reading, Writing and Reform: Part 2

September 02, 2003

by Beth Fertig

Though classes won't start until next week, New York City's 80-thousand teachers are returning to work today. They're learning the new curriculum for math and literacy - which will be used in a....

Reading, Writing and Reform: Part 1

August 06, 2003

by Beth Fertig

September is still a month away, and with it the start of the new school year. But the biggest changes in 30 years to the city school system are already well underway. The 32 community school district....

Non-partisan Elections

July 31, 2003

by Beth Fertig

Beth Fertig reports that New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is trying to convince voters to drop partisan primaries. Bloomberg wants municipal officials to be chosen in a single open primary, with ....

Voices Remembering Councilman Davis

July 29, 2003

by Beth Fertig

City councilman James Davis's burial takes place Tuesday afternoon, following a funeral service and a symbolic march in Brooklyn. Davis's murder captured headlines because of the violent way he was gu....

Belts Worn Tighter in Staten Island

July 22, 2003

by Beth Fertig

The Cost of Living: Stories from the Front Lines in the Five Boroughs The Bronx Staten Island Brooklyn Manhattan ....

Disabled Pre-schoolers File Lawsuit

June 16, 2003

by Beth Fertig

On June 16, a class action lawsuit will be filed against the city on behalf of more than 500 disabled pre-school children. Their attorneys claim the children aren't receiving special education service....

Unmanned Sub Seeks Leaks from Catskills to the Bronx

June 07, 2003

by Beth Fertig

Click here for a slide show New York's city water system is losing between 15 and 36 million gallons each day because of leaks in a huge water tunnel that runs from the Catskills to the Bronx. E....

Parents Having Trouble Making Choices

May 20, 2003

by Beth Fertig

Today is the deadline for parents with children in the city's most troubled schools to choose where they'd like to transfer their children next fall. The Department of Education sent every household t....

Bloomberg Struggles With Education Policy

May 14, 2003

by Beth Fertig

It was just four short months ago that Mayor Bloomberg was greeted with cheers, when he announced his plan to re-organize the city school system. Since then, however, the mayor and his chancellor have....

State And City Spar on Education Funding

May 09, 2003

by Beth Fertig

A lawsuit challenging funding for public schools is now in the hands of the state's highest court. Yesterday, the Court of Appeals in Albany heard oral arguments in a 10 year old case. The plaintiffs ....

Unions Accuse City of Wasting Cash on Temps

May 07, 2003

by Beth Fertig

Despite new tax increases, and additional aid from Albany, Mayor Bloomberg says he'll still have to lay off 4500 city workers by the end of June. Their unions haven't given up the fight. They accuse t....

Bloomberg's Education Reforms Hitting Trouble in Albany

April 23, 2003

by Beth Fertig

Mayor Bloomberg's education reforms are running into trouble in Albany. Less than a year after giving Bloomberg control over the city schools, some state lawmakers believe the mayor and his chancellor....