“Mayor Bill de Blasio visited PS 69 in Jackson Heights on Monday to outline several major budgetary and teachers’ contract reforms, which he expects will transform public education in the City,” writes Jackie Strawbridge in Friday’s (5/16) Queens Tribune (New York City). “De Blasio largely focused on investments in arts education in the Fiscal Year 2015 budget announced last week, as well as efforts to alleviate overcrowding, increase parental involvement and expand universal full-day pre-k.… [A] major focus of de Blasio’s announcement was expanded arts education. The budget allocates $20 million for arts education programs and improvements, including partnerships with arts institutions, cultural field trips and new or renovated arts facilities. [Schools Chancellor Carmen] Fariña also discussed using the funding to extend existing programs across grades and schools, so that a student would not, for example, abruptly end trumpet lessons when he or she graduates middle school. ‘The arts programs to me are the most fabulous thing,’ said Fariña, noting that many professional opportunities in New York are based in the arts.… Other reforms that de Blasio highlighted include funding for after-school and summer-school programs, extra time in teachers’ schedules for parent outreach, and doubled evening parent-teacher conferences each month.”
Posted May 20, 2014
