Another year, another round of school closures. Or more precisely, school-phase-outs-that-will-then-result-in-school-openings. So why bother? Mayor Bloomberg thinks it's an effective way to improve student performance. The eight million New Yorkers not on Mayor Bloomberg's payroll say it's really about breaking the teacher's union. What do you say?

A new year brings a new effort by the Department of Education to replace low-performing schools. Today, the DOE added nine schools to its list of 17 that may be closed, phased out, or have certain grades removed.

Before the changes can be made by the Panel on Educational Policy, a public hearing will be held. The Bloomberg Administration has already closed hundreds of struggling schools, only to later replace them with several smaller ones using many new teachers. The United Federation of Teachers calls the attempt to support these low-performing schools "absurd." What do you say?

Do you support the Department of Education's efforts to replace teachers at struggling schools? If your child attends class in a building that was recently converted into a new school, what has the learning experience been like? Do you feel the voice of parents is represented in the decision process?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

I do not support the DOE in their efforts to replace teachers at struggling schools. These teachers are as good as the teachers in the THRIVING SCHOOLS. The difference - THE STUDENTS - Maybe he should replace the students and see if these teachers can then succeed!!!

How's that for an idea.......

Jessica, Arden Heights

School closures are terrible for communities and kids. In several cases with which I am familiar, the DOE and its opaque system of school 'networks' have not provided the supports that struggling schools are entitled to and need. Budget cuts have decimated programs serving kids with extra needs. This administration should be ashamed of itself for its rampant preferential treatment for certain charter schools while it abandons or neglects the schools and children it actually oversees. I know they are trying to cram in as many closures and charters as they can before the next election, but come on...

Anni
Manhattan

I do not support the Mayors actions. He thinks he knows what he is doing-but guess what he doesn`t know what the heck is going on with the schools. He needs to go into a classroom and try to teach a class himself-maybe then he will understand.

Rosalie from Canarsie

John,

I support the DOE for sweeping the floors and cleaning the toilets. They should leave education to the educators.

Joe
Port Richmond, SI

Hi John,

I thought this Mayor was an expert at tackling the school system? Yet again he has so many projects going at one time and he has been a failure in whatever he touches. Now he's into the gun control. The president doesn't realize that we have huge problem in this country with our education system but he saw fit to call on this Mayor. What does he know about anything? Once again we are closing more schools and we are once again dealing with a panel. Why? I ask, because it never goes in our favor.

Also after all these years just what kind of educational background do these new teachers come into the system with. Who are the ones responsible for interviewing them. If you have so many children going to summer school why are they not using that opportunity to see just how they respond to these children that are going to school in the summer. THE METHOD TO THE MADNESS IS MONEY, MONEY AND MORE MONEY!

HEY BLOOMBERG AND CRONIES DON'T FORGET ABOUT [SANDY]!

Thank you John,
maxxiee
mp

They should restructure the school,not close them, this is not a smart strategy, how do you think those students feel knowing that the school they are attending is not performing so the answer is to shut them down? They feel like they are being let down and creates low moral. This is the wrong approach. Change administration within the school, don't shut it down

Jeannie
Forest hills, ny

Current 9th & 10th graders had Bloomberg as the mayor for their all their years in public education. They are the most undernourished students both academically and emotionally that I have encountered in my 30+ years as an educator and counselor. Shame on the mayor for fabricating the truth. Social promotion lives on in NYC. There are more overage and under credited 9th graders entering high school. Mayor, you are a fraud..

Maryanne in Riverdale.

The school closings are not only unfair, but the kids left in the schools as they phase out lose all their services, programs and courses necessary for graduation; they are really cheated out of a HS education.

Leonie Haimson
Executive Director
Class Size Matters

I am a teacher in a high-needs, Title I school in the South Bronx. I can wholeheartedly say that the DOE is not supporting schools. Here's a clear example: All schools are working under the Common Core, a new set of rigorous learning standards, but the DOE hasn't provided a Common Core standards-based curriculum. Instead, teachers and coaches are writing curriculum at the school level. If those who are writing the curriculum are not well-versed in the standards, then the students will not be learning what they are expected to learn. Also, students citywide will not be on an equal playing field because each school is making up curriculum as it goes along. This has a negative effect on student learning and we will see that with this year's state exam scores (this year the exam will be completely Common Core based). Closing schools is not a solution to this and the many problems our schools face. Closing schools puts a band-aid on the problem and takes attention away from the fact that Bloomberg, Walcott, and the Tweed staff are incompetent and unable to manage this school system.

Khiera
Washington Heights

closing schools is just another form of union busting, just like what's going on with the school bus drivers, a way to get rid of experienced, highly paid workers/teachers who won't get hired back when the school reopens in another form, just like Bloomberg is trying to hire companies who will hire cheap, non-union bus drivers. the new teachers will be lower paid, inexperienced teachers, or there will be a privatized, for profit charter school. Bloomberg's goal is to privatize the public school system as much as possible. People need to get wise to the big picture, this is not just about schools, it's about hiring cheaper labor with less benefits throughout the city. Open your eyes people, it's all connected. Right now there is a hiring freeze for full time city workers, Bloomberg is using cheap part-time workers who get no benefits. This is the agenda for every agency in the city.

meryl from manhattan

It'd like to see a list of all the ways Mayor Bloomberg has tried to help these failing schools before listing them to close. Has the administration changed, extra support services, smaller class sizes, extracurricular programs, increased funding & accountability...? The Education Mayor isn't an educator & is clueless to solve the issues facing inner-city children.

Andrea, Bayside

I am a teacher at a school that the DOE decided to close last year. I can tell you with certainty that, even before they decided to close the school, they DIDNOT provide us with the tools we needed to be successful, They immediately started pulling resources and funding from our students. The mayor and the chancellor doesn't seem to care how this impacts our students. Closing schools is not a strategy, it's a fail attempt at school reform! Eleven years later and the mayor is still closing schools, really???? and he thinks that's a success!!?!?!?

Pearl, Bronx

I went to NYC schools from Kintergarten through high school (Erasmus) in the 60's and 70's and we never had less than 30 students in a class. Let's face it - its the students and their home lives that have changed. NYC schools had no money in the 70's - NY was in deep financial trouble. Teachers are so bound by political correctness and the inability to take any meaningful action against fractious students that they are left helpless against those that act out and won't learn. Change the students' (and the parents) attitudes and see how much the teachers can teach.

I will add - since someone brought it up - that NY has always tested its students at every level - as far back as I can remember we took standardized tests - NYC tests, New York State tests, and National tests. We even had penmanship (a lost art) tests that the teachers claimed were sent straight to the principal! We were afraid of failing - maybe that is the difference; we were allowed to fail and not everyone was awarded a gold star just for showing up.

Gail
Tampa, FL

Sir's if a school with it's socall teachers and staff are educating/ performing their job, the school should be close and said inadecuate teacher should be terminated. The schools are not to secure jobs for a selected few but for the education of our 1.3 Million sons and daughters in New York City.

Emilio

I don't understand why our schools don't have the text books & the tools to teach our kids aren't the proceeds of the lottery suppose to go into our schools... Listen people the Mayor could care less, his daughter is attending the best schools....

Isabel
Brooklyn

Bloomberg should of never gotten control of the schools. Put the schools back the way it was, there nothing wrong with the way it was before he tookk office. He destoyed free public education.

A.R.

Some parents just love to deflect responsibility & blame others for their problems.

It's a fact that responsible parents yield smarter students. And a reduced class size would not hurt either.

Peter (a parent), queens

Yes, they should close the schools and get more competent teachers. Why is the UFT so afraid of teachers being evaluated?

SRS

QUINN IS A PUPPET AND BLOOMBERG NEEDS TO GO

PEDRO
BRONX

John,

No one is being heard. The mayor continues to be ineffective because he is not an educator. He should stick to what he knows, business. Like the commercial: would you let your Dr. do your job? Blaming the teachers is like kicking the dog when you come home. I'm a former teacher who witnessed ineffective programs being utilized year after year, class sizes growing and faced several administrations who refused to accept that they had made poor curricular decisions. Teachers should not be reinventing the wheel and creating curriculum. The standards are not being met because there are so many incompetent people put in positions via nepotism and people consumed with favoritism and power. What happened to utilizing research? Why does this only happen at school's heavily populated by minorities? The system is so riddled with problems and no one willing to listen.

Brenda/Sunset Park

I've been teaching for 10 years throughout this Bloomberg administration and there has been nothing that he or the DOE has done to show support for our schools. This news about the 17 schools is the mayors last resort to destroy the public education system before he leaves office. Look at his track record. Instead of working with educators to implement policies he ignores the trained professionals and does what he wants.
As an educator I don't feel supported. I want a department of education that implements policies to work with Public Education not against it.

Stuart from Bayridge

The past 12 years and the absolute Ignorance of parents in their child's education is just a lesson in why a mayor should not be able to hide behind the children. End mayoral control!

-john, staten island

Bloomberg encourages illegal immigrants to come to New York. Their kids clog the schools and hold other kids back because they can't even speak basic English.

Frances
East Village

What must children be thinking when all they keep hearing about are schools failing and closing? Slapping a new meaningless name on a school building apparently has not worked for Bloomberg who hasn't a clue in running DOE. This is costing us $millions.

Steve
Forest Hills

Mayor Bloomberg’s only commitment has been to breaking the United Federation of Teachers. He has run a 10 year personal vendetta against teachers and even compared them this week to the National Rifle Administration. The Mayor has named his administrative unit that governs schools at the district level at the DOE “Child First Units.” This administration does not put children first but last. For example, the Mayor ended quality contracts with many related service providers in September and contracted out with agencies that charge less and deliver less service to children. The Mayor has spent 16 million dollars instead on a Computer system to try to capture better recording of special education services. The system called SESIS is an administrative nightmare and takes teachers and staff three times longer to do their reports. This week the Mayor lost a law suit with the UFT because they wanted teachers to work on SESIS AT HOME.

Richard

I never understood the term "struggling school" what is that? A school is an inanimate object. So who's really struggling? Imagine if parents treated their children the way the DOE has treated them. You know son, you've been struggling, you are failing; so I am going to shut you down! How ridiculous does that sound? It doesn't make any sense whatsoever! Schools in America will NEVER succeed under this type of leadership! This madness must stop!

Pearl, Bronx

I believe that the end result should be better students and better schools. Bloomberg's idea of "shutting down" schools because of poor performance is very shallow. The real reason the schools in question are not educating the students is because they are housed in the worst economic areas and the students are often high need children with emotional problems at home and little or no parental support. As a parent of NYC kids, I knew my children could not be educated properly in the public schools until high school. I can tell you that the money and resources and best teachers are servicing the specialized high schools where my kids gained acceptance. He does not care about educating minority kids in the so called ghetto and its okay to single out schools that are not making the grade but if you are not really willing to put the money and resources toward educating them and making the parents and teachers accountable for their success, the so called charter school in the same location is a farce.

Tami

John, are you kidding!?! Search NYCAN and PMAD. There are billions of pharmaceutical $$$ that are about to take over the school system in NYC! Parents have to rise up because this is a crisis and the children are going to suffer.

DFD

It is so obvious that the Mayor cares nothing for the students of NYC if their parents do not make big money. The things he is doing seems like he hates the middle and lower class parents and students. Why aren't those high paid people working in the adminstration at the DOE develope methods of help? Listen to the teachers and the monitor what is really going on with our children, support the school. They don't want to. It is money and race driven. The Mayor hates to do the work. Children in the system are to be educated. The change in the volume of students has to be accomidated. When the volumes of parents spend their dollars in the Mayors friends businesses the number is not a problem. Hire the thousands of teacher looking for work. We have think of the society not the Mayors pocket. It is a union busting tactic and the Mayor should be ashamed.

End Mayoral control.
Marian