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Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced an end to all Gifted and Talented programs, without any of the promised family engagement. No new students will be allowed in starting the next school year, but existing students will be allowed to continue. For TAG specifically, that means there will be no new Kindergarten class in 2022, and less and less funding each year as enrollment dwindles. As the City elects a new mayor next month who will take over before any such changes would be implemented, the mayoral candidate who wins will have final say on this attempted closure of TAG and all NYC gifted and talented programs. Both Eric Adams (the Democratic candidate and presumptive favorite) and Curtis Sliwa (the Republican candidate) have campaigned on expanding the program to every district. But the dynamic now changed from expanding an existing program, to reinstating a cancelled program. Parents of G&T students should express their views on the fate of the program before any changes are finalized. Here are several things you can do: Attend the "Rally to Save G&T" Thursday, Oct 14, 12 Noon, at 52 Chambers St in front of the Tweed Courthouse.  Contact candidates for next month's Mayoral election:
Eric Adams Response: A spokesperson for Adams, the frontrunner to win the overwhelmingly Democratic city in November, said the current Brooklyn borough president 'has said consistently he would keep the Gifted and Talented test and provide more resources, classes and support to lower-income students to ensure fairer outcomes,' adding his 'position hasn’t changed.' (via spokesperson) Twitter: @ericadamsfornyc Campaign: https://ericadams2021.com/ info@ericadams2021.com (929)474-3793 Brooklyn Borough President Office: (718)802-3700 ryanlynch@brooklynbp.nyc.gov (his chief of staff) and jlowel@brooklynbp.nyc.gov (his policy director) Curtis Sliwa Response: "As NYC Mayor, I will immediately re-implement gifted & talented programs, while also increasing testing resources so all students can adequately prepare for the admissions exam!" (via Twitter) Twitter: @CurtisSliwa Campaign website: https://sliwaforny.com/contact/ Contact other elected and education officials: Current Mayor call 311 email: bdeblasio@cityhall.nyc.gov Web: https://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/mayor-contact.page Twitter: @BilldeBlasio @NYCMayor @NYCMayorsOffice Call into Friday morning radio, NPR The Brian Lehrer Show for "Ask the Mayor": https://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl NYC DOE Chancellor Meisha Porter email: nycchancellor@schools.nyc.gov Office: (212)374-6000 DOE main switchboard: (718)935-2000 Twitter: @DOEChancellor John C. Liu, New York State Senator; Chair of Standing Committee on NYC Education Response: "Gifted and talented programs have been an integral option for generations of schoolkids. Bill de Blasio promised intensive public engagement about it but now wants total elimination. This won’t help his abysmal record. If anything, his legacy will be revocation of mayoral control." (via Twitter) email: liu@nysenate.gov Twitter: @LiuNewYork Mark Treyger, NYC Council Member, Education Chair email: MTreyger@council.nyc.gov Twitter: @MarkTreyger718 Also contact your local reps in City Hall and State legislator: Look up your Council Member https://council.nyc.gov/districts/ Look up your NYS Senator https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator/ Look up your Assembly Member https://nyassembly.gov/mem/search/ More information Story first leaked to NY Times before official announcement: De Blasio to Phase Out N.Y.C. Gifted and Talented Program https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/08/nyregion/gifted-talented-nyc-schools.html Parents rip de Blasio for ‘abominable’ plan to end Gifted and Talented program https://nypost.com/2021/10/08/parents-rip-de-blasio-for-plan-to-end-gifted-and-talented-program/ NYC mayor frontrunner Eric Adams hints he would REVERSE Bill de Blasio's decision to cancel 'Gifted and Talented' school program https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10076879/Eric-Adams-signals-save-gifted-talented-initiative-day-Blasio-cancels-program.html Statement by pro accelerated education advocacy group: PLACE NYC Condemns Mayor de Blasio Killing Gifted & Talented Program in the 11th Hour Without Promised Family Engagement https://placenyc.org/2021/10/08/place-nyc-condemns-mayor-de-blasio-killing-gifted-talented-program-in-the-11th-hour-without-promised-family-engagement/ The fight for a remote option continues. There are a few actions you can take.
1. Legislative action Senator Liu and Assemblywoman Fernandez have introduced a bill to require the DOE to provide remote learning for families who want it (S7381 and A8283). Please call your own Senator and Assembly Member and urge them to support these bills. To find out who your Senator and Assembly Member are, go to https://www.mygovnyc.org/ Please also reach out to Senator Liu and Assemblywoman Fernandez to let them know you support the bills and thank them for introducing them. 2. Executive order by the Governor The Governor may also consider issuing an executive order to require the DOE to offer remote learning. Please contact her by sending a web form and ask her to issue an executive order that requires the DOE to offer a remote learning option to any family who wishes to keep their children home. 3. Potential lawsuit There is a law firm that has agreed to represent parents who want to bring a legal action against the DOE. If you are interested in serving as a plaintiff, please complete this intake form. There is no fee: the legal services are being provided for free. The URL for the online form is: https://tinyurl.com/RemoteRetainerGForm. You may also fill out a PDF form at https://tinyurl.com/RemoteRetainerPDF. PDF form must be downloaded and filled out using Adobe Acrobat Reader.  Greetings Community!
Sending information below on behalf of the Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) If any of you recall the advocacy surrounding "Fully Funding our schools" supporting the fight for The Campaign for Fiscal Equity. We've shared information about this and a lot of you have filled out petition letters, help spread the word and have inquired about this to learn more. Well in April 2021 this was successfully included in the New York State budget and we've secured significant funding for public schools this year. Billions of dollars will be invested in NYC public schools and we want to make sure parents, students, educators, and community members are able to decide how these funds are spent. We have a survey that we're sharing that allows folks to share their thoughts on how they believe the increase in funding should be prioritized. We were able to translate the survey into Spanish and would appreciate your support in sharing it to folks who speak and read Spanish. More info can be found below. The deadline is May 14th.” The survey can be found here: Spanish & English WE APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY FOR THE LAST MOMENTS' NOTICE, BUT TODAY AT 4pm is a Town Hall to discuss spending of these funds. Please spread the word, if you can not make it, follow AQE (Alliance for Quality Education) for future updates, it may be on available on their facebook page for viewing later. Don't miss out on a chance to have your voice heard TODAY at 4PM during our NYC Funding & Foundation Aid town hall! There's still time to register and join us: http://buff.ly/2QVWU4E Rasheedah TAG PTA Vice President At Large
This year we have been working very hard to elevate the concerns of schools when it comes to safety, health and needs of our children. This Saturday, we will be advocating for: (1) smaller class sizes (2) a prioritization in mental health/SEL in our schools (3) Culturally responsive education (4) budget justice (5) authentic family engagement on reopening We don’t want others to speak on what our community wants or needs. East Harlem has been overlooked enough. Este año hemos estado trabajando muy duro para elevar las preocupaciones de nuestras comunidades escolares especialmente cuando se trata de la seguridad, la salud y las necesidades de nuestros niños. Este sábado, estaremos abogando por:
(1) un menor número de alumnos por clase (2) una prioridad en la salud mental/SEL en nuestras escuelas (3) una educación que tenga en cuenta la cultura (4) justicia presupuestaria (5) una auténtica participación de las familias en los planes del otoño No queremos que otros hablen de lo que nuestra comunidad quiere o necesita. El Barrio ya ha sido suficientemente ignorado. Únase! The following is a message from a group (AQE), who has been fighting to fully fund NYS public schools for 20 years (Campaign for Fiscal Equity). This year, we are closer than ever to finally getting the money New York State owes its public schools (Foundation Aid). Please see the message below. Please take action now (it is not too late) and share far and wide. If you have any question or concerns, contact the organization directly at: https://www.aqeny.org/contact/ Rasheedah Harris TAG’s PTA Vice President at Large Link to letter in a document here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1muGqC1U7HSjxdlKdu8rn4iNE5wnIw2apbrCYJCcd6P4/edit?usp=sharing Over the weekend we've seen the news that legislators are "nearing a budget agreement that would increase corporate and income taxes by $4.3 billion a year".
But it's not over until it's over and we're demanding Not A Penny Less than $7 Billion! We are approaching a potentially monumental moment for New York's students and public schools — State lawmakers are poised to vote for a budget that will finally include a 3 year commitment to fully fund the longer overdue Foundation Aid formula to our schools {https://www.aqeny.org/equity/}. A budget is a moral document and we need our state leaders to pass a budget that moves New York in the direction of education justice. All children regardless of race, income and immigration status must have access to a quality public education in their neighborhood. Our children and their futures depend on the education investments we make today. Show your support for a just budget by taking action now, please (IT IS NOT TOO LATE). Tell Governor Cuomo to protect every day New Yorkers NOT his buddy billionaires https://ctt.ec/86Cc4+ Tell State Leaders to Protect students, not the ultra rich in the enacted budget: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-state-leaders-protect-students-not-the-ultra-rich-in-the-enacted-budget Look up who your NYS Assembly and Senate reps are here: https://www.aqeny.org/find-your-new-york-state-legislators/ Call and email them and tell them Tax The Rich and give us a just budget (do it now, it’s not too late)! Will you call the Governor RIGHT NOW and tell him that you expect him to Invest In Our New York? Why? Because...
Finally, because working class and poor New Yorkers are picking up the tab for public services while wealthy New Yorkers get tax breaks --- and that's not right. There’s no reason we can’t get to $7 billion in new annual progressive revenue. We can start increasing income taxes at $500k a year and make a huge difference. But only if Governor Cuomo and our state legislators do what's right and Invest In Our New York. Sample Tweets (formatted for twitter, but can be posted on facebook and instagram as well) tag your elected officials. @NYGovCuomo: We need you to put New Yorkers, not billionaires, first. #NotOnePennyLess than $7B in the final budget. #InvestInOurNY A budget is a moral document. We need @AndreaSCousins, @CarlHeastie & @NYGovCuomo to show moral leadership & pass a final budget that includes #NotAPennyLess than the @NYSA_Majority & @NYSenDems proposals. The @NYSA_Majority & @NYSenDems proposed expanding pre-K across the state. Students, families, & educators are depending on @AndreaSCousins & @CarlHeastie to stand strong in negotiations so our youngest NYers are on the path to success #NotAPennyLess NYers want @AndreaSCousins & @CarlHeastie to hold the line in negotiations this weekend and accept #NotAPennyLess for our students and communities when negotiating the NYS budget. We need a just recovery for ALL New Yorkers! .@AndreaSCousins @CarlHeastie, hold the line and tell @NYGovCuomo: people over profit. NYers need an enacted budget that raises $7B in new revenue and #NotAPennyLess. It’s time for @NYGovCuomo to accept that NYS has an obligation to fund public schools and provide students with a quality education. Budgets are moral documents and we need state leaders to show moral leadership for students and communities. #NotAPennyLess @NYGovCuomo is standing in the way of Black and Brown students. We need @Carlheastie & @AndreaSCousins to hold the line and fight for full funding of our schools and raise $7B in new revenue. #NotAPennyLess Below is a message from an group who wrote a letter, created a petition and organized an action this Saturday, 3/27 in solidarity with the Asian community and support putting an end to the discriminatory hate and abuse towards Asians as well as asking for NYC DOE to take action by addressing this systemic racist practices within our school structure. Please see the message below. And share far and wide. If you have any question or concerns, contact the organization directly at: nyc4rjps@gmail.com. Dear RJPS community,
In response the endless attacks on the Asain American and Pacific Islander Community, New Yorkers for Racially Just Public School is participating in an action on SATURDAY, MARCH 27TH, 1 PM near City Hall to present our demands to the Mayor, and of New York City Schools Chancellor Meisha Ross-Porter. We must not only make New York City streets safe for all New Yorkers, we must ensure New York City public schools are safe and welcoming environments that reject all forms of racism, and value all our students. We stand in solidarity, and in partnership with leaders in the Asian American community to reject this violence, and to situate these events in the long history of racial violence against the Asian community in this country. This violence did not just appear because of the pandemic, it has been incubated by a society steeped in white supremacist values; and accelerated by the explicitly racist rhetoric spewed by the former president and other elected officials. That this violence at times has been perpetrated by other Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) only reinforces the insidious nature of white supremacy and the ways even BIPOC can consume its poisons. The violence of white supremacy is learned and upheld by our policies, practices, and beliefs. We need action on each from City leadership. Click here to join the 100 people that have already signed the New Yorkers Stand Against Anti-Asian Violence and White Supremacy petition. Click here to read our full letter, featuring our demands and resources on how to act in solidarity with the AAPI community We hope to see you at 1 pm this Saturday 3/27. More information to come!! -- In Solidarity, RJPS Steering Committee "Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.” - Paulo Freire Greetings everyone, I wanted to share this with you all and hope you share it with everyone you know. This is informational only with no intent to debate, discuss and/or convince anyone personally to take or not take the state tests. This is asking for a waiver to not even give the state tests, this year, amidst this pandemic. If you read this, learn more and agree you'd like to push and fight for these state tests to be canceled this year, below is a toolkit you can use to take action (make calls, emails, post on social media, etc.). In Unity, Rasheedah Harris Although Miguel Cardona was officially confirmed as The Education Secretary yesterday, this action is still relevant to Rosenblum EXCEPT we have revised the email action (because the cc's were bouncing back).
Instead of what's below use this: ACTION #2: EMAIL We've made it easy! Go to this page and click on send an email to Rosenblum. An email window should pop open with text already filled in. Be sure to sign your name at the end and consider personalizing your message by including your relationship to schools (student, parent/guardian/grandparent, educator, etc) and where you live (city/state). Once you've done so, forward to two friends and ask them to email, too. BLOW UP THAT INBOX AND MAKE PHONE CALLS! FYI: The U.S. Dept. of Education shut down their call center yesterday after an overwhelming amount of phone calls from parents, students, educators, school staff, community members and advocates demanding the cancellation of mandated state tests amidst this pandemic. (Keep the pressure on!) Also, if you are looking for some specific tweets related to this campaign & Cardona' confirmation, see below (and retweet please): https://twitter.com/NYCOptOut/status/1366545688436301824 https://twitter.com/NYCOptOut/status/1366534538705403905 This tweet lists out all the actions, but need to be revised to delete the cc's on the email action (do not email the cc's b/c they are bouncing back): https://twitter.com/NYCOptOut/status/1366433589957718016 Be sure to "tag" the newly confirmed Secretary Miguel Cardona on all your tweets @SecCardona ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: NYCOptOut Date: Sun, Feb 28, 2021 at 12:18 PM Subject: Ian Rosenblum: Cancel State Tests NOW To: Hello folks, In case you hadn't heard, a letter went out last week to all state school chiefs telling them that they could not cancel 3rd-8th grade state tests. That letter wasn't sent by the secretary of the federal education department because Miguel Cardona, Biden's nominee for that position, hasn't even been confirmed yet. So who did send out this letter ordering states to give the tests even as a pandemic rages, killing half a million people and disrupting schooling beyond recognition? An acting deputy assistant secretary, Ian Rosenblum. We've organized a campaign aimed directly at Rosenblum to urge him to reverse this disastrous, impractical, and cruel decision. We've got: + a brief phone call you can make + an email you can send + a tweet you can re-Tweet + a FB post you can share Details on all below. Please do as many as you can, AS SOON AS YOU CAN; each should only take a minute or two. A lot of people are unhappy about Rosenblum's decision. Let's take advantage of our numbers; together we can turn the tide--or: When we fight, we win! ACTION #1: CALL Once you've done so, find two friends and ask them to call, too. BLOW UP THAT VOICEMAIL BOX! Ian Rosenblum (202) 245-7448 Dialing will likely deliver you direct to voicemail. That’s OK. Phone script (You don't have to say this word for word; give it your own flare) Hello, my name is _____________________ and I am a (parent/guardian, student, teacher, principal, grandparent, etc). I live in _________________________. I am calling because I recently learned that you were the person who signed the letter informing state education leaders that they must give the annual state tests to public school 3rd-8th graders. I want you to know that I strongly oppose your decision in this matter, and I believe that it runs completely contrary to what President Biden promised on the campaign trail. In your role at the Department of Education, you must act to uphold the president’s promise to honor the professionalism of teachers and the social-emotional well being of students. I am asking you to act like Betsy DeVos is no longer in charge, and reverse your very misguided “guidance” on test cancellation. These tests are the last thing our children need, especially in a pandemic year. ACTION #2: EMAIL Once you've done so, forward to two friends and ask them to email, too. BLOW UP THAT INBOX!You can write your own email, or if easier, cut and paste this template, personalizing it with some details about yourself. If you or your students have been learning remotely you can include something like: "My children, like the majority of children in NYC, have not had a single in-person school day since March 2020." to: Ian.Rosenblum@ed.gov subject line: Cancel state tests NOW Dear Mr. Rosenblum, I am a (parent/grandparent/guardian of # public school students*) (student) (teacher/principal/etc with x years of experience) in (city, state). I am writing to urge you to reverse the decision to administer state tests this year. To begin with, this decision runs contrary to public promises President Biden made during the campaign. He stated unequivocally that we must trust teachers to draw on their expertise as they work to support our children. Even in a normal year, inappropriate and expensive standardized tests do little more than tell us what we already know—that is, they confirm where resources are lacking. But to give tests now? The pandemic has killed over half a million Americans and triggered financial and mental health crises. It has exacerbated inequities in our schools and in society as a whole. Asking staff to go through the complicated logistics of setting up classrooms for testing in these conditions is a waste of valuable time, energy, and resources; telling students to sit for the exams is heartless. It is not too late to pull back your guidance to administer these tests—they are the last thing our children need. Sincerely, ACTION #3: TWEET Please Retweet out Action #1 +Use the hashtags #cancelthetests #optout2021 and/or #Fthetest + Aim your tweets at: Secretary Miguel Cardona @SecCardona Congresspeople Senators Vice Presidents @VP Presidents @POTUS First Ladies Who Happen To Be Teachers @FLOTUS Acting Asst. Secretary @ianrosenblum & Chief of Staff @sheilanix ACTION #4: SHARE our Facebook Action PLACE (Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education)
The parent leaders of PLACE NYC demand a commitment to rigorous education options which prioritize full literacy and numeracy for all NYC students; an integrated school system with welcoming and supportive learning environments, increased high school graduation rates, and meaningful college-readiness. Change.org: Petition to Keep NYC Schools Open during pandemic Change.org: Petition to Close NYC Schools during pandemic Alliance for Quality Education: The Campaign for Fiscal Equity OptOutNYC: 10 Reasons to Boycott NYS Exams Please join Black Lives Matter at NYC Schools this Thursday, December 10 at 7 PM for this month's Black Lives Matter at School meeting to help organize this year's week of action and meet other educators and community members doing this work in their schools. We will be announcing this year's T-shirt contest winner, along with the runners up who's designs will be on stickers! We can't wait to share these incredible new designs with you! If you or your students submitted designs, please do attend the meeting! Go to bit.ly/blmdecmtg to register for the meeting and please share the registration link with your colleagues, friends and community! Students and families are welcome!  |
