Mayor Bloomberg is directing $10 million to provide tutors for students who are falling behind.
From Gotham Schools:
Nearly six months after the city saw students' failure rates spike thanks to new, tougher state tests, Mayor Bloomberg is directing extra funding to ready those students for another round of exams.
The mayor announced today that the Department of Education will distribute $10 million to 532 schools where more than two-thirds of students failed the state's math and English tests last year. The funding will target nearly half of the more than 100,000 students who did not meet the state's newly heightened proficiency bar. Bloomberg said he expected 48,000 students to receive extra tutoring and in-school help as a result of the new funding.
Schools will get the money by Feb. 8 and testing begins in May.
School Chancellor Catthie Black made clear that the new funding does not mean the department will avoid spending decreases. The city is waiting to see how large the state's budget cut will be and Bloomberg said he expects teacher layoffs this year. But, he insisted, the $10 million was small enough that the city could cover it.
"This should not be taken as a signal that more money is the answer to all of our problems," Black said.
When asked where the money would be coming from, Mayor Bloomberg did not yet know but assured reporters, "we're gonna find the money someplace."
Public advocate Bill de Blasio said he's been pushing the city to provide extra help to struggling students for the last six months.
Teachers Union President Michael Mulgrew also said the money was long overdue.
"It was so obvious that we had a problem," Mulgrew said. "Something had to be done; this is a start."
This announcement, along with the mayor's fight to legalize hailing of livery cabs to help the outer boroughs, all signal a 'good news' offensive that perhaps is designed to battle Bloomberg's low approval ratings from the city's failed response to December's blizzard.