Schools and Education

The New York City Public School System is the largest school district in the US, with over 1,000,000 students, and 1,800+ schools. That’s bigger than most cities in America. Our schools are renowned for specialized high schools, high per-student funding, and immense diversity, offering unparalleled specialized programs across all five boroughs. 

District 3 is home to several notable public schools, including the one-of-a-kind High School for Fashion Industries, on 25th Street in Chelsea. This is yet another mark of how the West Side is a pipeline for creativity in the City.

But our schools need some improvement.

Academic and Student Support:

NYC schools need to focus on

• literacy instruction on earlier grades;

• boosting mental health services;

• increasing special education inclusion;

• providing intensive tutoring, especially for ELL;

• reduce chronic absenteeism through community-based support.

We must also expand access to school-based health services and implement trauma-informed care, recognizing the impact of poverty on students.

Teacher Support and Retention:

We must address teacher burnout with better compensation, complying with the class size law, and upgrading school infrastructure. We can also improve recruitment and retention by creating a citywide effort to build dedicated, mixed-income housing for teachers with a rent cap at 30% of income. I’m proud to have the United Federation of Teachers endorsement. 

In addition, we need to 

• reframe special education to be fully inclusive and shift to an anti-ableist culture and use improved information systems for tracking student needs;

• enhance school climate through restorative justice practices rather than exclusionary discipline, and improve school safety;

• tackle school segregation and underenrollment by drawing district line more appropriately;

• expand "community schools" that offer wraparound services (nutritional, medical, and social-emotional support) as well as adult education for families;

• improve our school buildings and grounds with new HVAC, gymnasiums, and bathrooms.

I will continue to make these types of allocations a priority when making budgeting decisions for District 3.