To Help Struggling Schools, de Blasio Invests Rather Than Shuts Down

In a marked departure from the previous administration, Mayor Bill de Blasio outlined on Monday a broad plan for investing in 94 of the city's most struggling schools with dollars, training and support services. 

Speaking at Coalition School for Social Change, a high school in East Harlem with a four-year graduation rate of just 40 percent, he said schools with the lowest performance metrics would get an injection of $150 million and an array of support services. If, after three years of this new approach, they still are lagging then his administration would consider closure. But a spokesman later clarified that the city could act sooner if necessary and replace staff members.

"We're going to give these schools the tools they need to survive. Plain and simple," de Blasio said.

The plan is called "school renewal," although the mayor said he preferred "no bad schools" as a name. It expands the community schools model, offering extra supports such as health services, food pantries and classes for parents inside the schools. 

Community schools focus on the "whole child," the mayor said, and tap into outside groups to create a community hub with a variety of services.

"Principals, teachers, and parents should work as close partners to address the needs of all kids — from the most troubled to the valedictorian," he said.

The plan also would offer more teacher training, summer school and longer school days at the troubled schools. De Blasio said his vision was grounded in his experience as a New York City public school parent, and he closed his remarks with a vow to bring a parent's commitment to the fight.

"These are the values our school system must have – a parent’s faith in every child, and a parent’s commitment not to give up. And that is my promise to you today — that we believe in every child in the New York City schools, and we will not give up on a single one," he said.

This was just one of several swipes at the previous administration and its penchant for closing schools, which de Blasio soundly denounced. 

"Over the sweep of decades, we have left children behind — year after year. We divided our school system into 'good schools' and 'bad schools.' And we wrote off the ones we called 'bad.'" he said. 

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg sought to replace failing schools, especially the large high schools, with charter schools and new, smaller schools. While de Blasio welcomed the mix of schools in the city, saying he wanted to support all of them, he said his focus was on the district schools "which educate the vast majority of our children." 

He did keep the option of school closure on the table. 

"We will plan for success, and we will dedicate more resources to achieving it," he said. "But we will also hold our schools and educational professionals responsible for failure, and we will use our power under the teachers’ contract, and other means, to do it." 

He said the Department of Education would do more to document the problems of poorly performing teachers, more closely supervise principals, and give  deadlines.

"Holding schools accountable is critical," the mayor said. Some changes are already underway. 

He said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña was evaluating principals and other school leaders at the 94 "renewal" schools, and teacher professional development would begin right away. Superintendents are now working more closely with principals. Fariña said principals will also be trained on how to document the steps that are needed to remove an ineffective teacher.

Also, city officials are making sure parent teacher associations exist in every school by Jan. 15.