Rudy Giuliani on Education
Open schools on weekends for remedial catch-up
Board of Education officials said yesterday that they were scrambling to meet the February deadline set by Giuliani to add a sixth day of school for nearly 84,000 struggling NYC schoolchildren. Even so, the officials said, the board will probably be
able to get the program only partly under way. The mayor’s proposal, unveiled in his address Monday on the state of the city, would bring about the biggest mobilization of teachers, students and resources since the board instituted mandatory summer
school in 1999. Several officials said that although the plans for a sixth day of extra English, science and mathematics classes had been discussed with Giuliani over the last few weeks, they were stunned to hear that the mayor wanted to carry them out
by sometime next month.
The weekend program would provide remedial instruction on either Saturday or Sunday to 45,300 8th through 12th graders who are lagging in science and math and to 38,600 immigrant students who are failing to learn English.
Source: Anemona Hartocollis, NY Times
Jan 10, 2001
Sell Board of Ed HQ to shrink it
Giuliani has been highly critical of the New York City school system and has vowed to sell the Board of Education headquarters, reduce its staff and move its offices into a smaller, modern building.
Source: CNN.com
Mar 11, 2000
Improve schools by taking on the unions & special interests
You only get one chance to educate a child, and it you screw it up, then it’s very hard to correct it later. [We] should be ashamed of ourselves, that we do not have the political courage to take on the unions, the special interests, and everything
else that are holding our children back! The people of this City are saying something to the leadership of this City. But the city is not listening to them. It’s too busy listening to the unions. It should be listening to the people of the City.
Source: State of City Address, New York City
Jan 13, 2000
Reading projects offer tutoring & improve test score
Project Read has increased student’s scores on the citywide reading test by 3.9 percentage points in 1998. This highly intensive school day and after-school program now reaches more than 130,000 students. Partners in Reading operates at more than
100 New York City Housing Authority community centers, reaching out to more than 5,300 children. Teachers, parents and community residents offer their free time to strengthen the reading, writing and communication skills of our city’s youths.
Source: RudyYes.com, “Proven Leadership” web site
Dec 9, 1999
$50M for more art teachers & art programs
Project Arts has permanently restored arts programming to 830 city schools. By the end of the year, the program will be in place throughout our school system. Since its inception in 1997, 750 arts teachers have been hired - 285 in 1998 alone.
The City has dedicated $50 million to ensure that our children receive the tools they need to enrich their lives and succeed as well-rounded individuals.
Source: RudyYes.com, “Proven Leadership” web site
Dec 9, 1999
Replace Board of Ed with appointed commissioner
Giuliani wants to replace the Board of Education with a commissioner of education appointed by the mayor, subject to confirmation by the City Council. Giuliani’s proposal would give the mayor - who is directly accountable to the voters - the opportunity
to appoint experts who share his educational philosophy. That would provide the accountability that is so essential but is lacking now - not only at the top, but throughout the entire bureaucracy.
Source: Daily News, Opinion by Ed Koch
Apr 30, 1999
Rudy Giuliani on School Choice
Privatize failing schools
New York should privatize failing schools. The Board of education has been trying to turn them around for five years, and in some cases ten years. It should admit that it’s failed, and it should bring in others to educate the children.
Source: State of the City Address
Jan 13, 2000
Charter Schools create competition
Charter schools are a great way to create competition. [New Yorkers] should want the competition for the good of our kids. Let’s push for more and more charter schools.
Source: State of the City Address
Jan 13, 2000
Voucher program for New York City
I am going to continue to fight for a voucher program in New York City. Because I believe the experiment in Milwaukee is something that should be tried in New York. Let me explain my thinking about this: I think our school system is in such bad
shape that we do not have room to exclude any experiment that might help our children, and that is proven somewhere else. Our children are entitled to all the good ideas, all the innovative ideas, and every new thing that is helping education elsewhere.
Source: State of the City Address
Jan 13, 2000
Experiment in NYC with school vouchers
Giuliani’s voucher program would require $12 million in setup costs. That’s a drop in the bucket of the more than $20 billion the city will spend on public education over the 2-year life of his proposal. Giuliani believes that if the Council approves the
experiment, there is no need for the Legislature to act. If he’s right, full speed ahead. Maybe competition with the new voucher venture will shake up the public school administrators. Let’s give them the opportunity to compete & do their personal best.
Source: Daily News, Opinion by Ed Koch
Apr 30, 1999