“Good Morning.  This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

“To keep our city growing and thriving, we need to improve the quality of our public schools and to build the infrastructure New York needs in the 21st century.  Last week, we took a major step forward in both of these areas.

“First – our schools.  Last Monday at an Education Summit hosted by NBC, I announced a new set of reforms governing how we pay some of our best teachers, and how we grant tenure.  I think we have the best teachers in the country.  They are smart, and dedicated – and they have a wealth and also a diversity of experience to bring to the classroom.   They deserve our respect. And they deserve to be recognized and rewarded for their success.  And that’s exactly what we intend to do with the $36 million Teacher Incentive Grant we won from the U.S. Department of Education two weeks ago. 

“We’ll use that funding to increase the number of master teachers.  Those are teachers who mentor and support their colleagues, including our newest teachers.  And we’ll also add to the ranks of our turnaround teachers.  Those are highly effective teachers who agree to serve in our lowest-performing schools.  Both master and turnaround teachers will receive salary increases that could amount to tens of thousands of dollars.

“Teachers who help our children advance academically deserve every reward we can give them.  But those who don’t do not deserve a lifetime job.  Under the new tenure policy, principals will grant tenure to teachers only after they have achieved two years of academic gains.  Schools will continue to provide professional support for teachers who are still developing.  And they’ll replace ineffective teachers with teachers who can actually help our students advance.

“In education, the measure for every decision should be simple:  Is it good for children?  Not politicians.  Or unions.  But children.  That’s why we’re taking steps to change how we grant tenure, starting this year. 

“The second major investment we made in our city’s future last week involves our infrastructure.  Most people think of infrastructure as bridges, subways, and water tunnels – and in fact, we are making billions of dollars of investments in all of these things, including the extension of the Number 7 Subway line and the construction of the third water tunnel, which is so vital to our city’s water supply.  On Tuesday, we also announced a $2.4 billion investment in what’s called ‘green infrastructure’ to improve the quality of our waterways by capturing and retaining storm water to reduce the amount of pollution that flows into our harbor during big storms.  Within 20 years, we expect this new plan, which includes the construction of such elements as green roofs and wetlands, to reduce by 40 percent the amount of polluted water that currently flows into our waterways.  At the same time, it will save the City about $2.4 billion, helping to keep water bills down.

“Green infrastructure is the best, most cost-effective strategy for reaching a goal that we set in our PlaNYC agenda: Opening 90 percent of the City’s waterways for boating, fishing, and other forms of recreation by the year 2030.  And doing that will insure a healthier environment and better quality of life for us all.

“This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.  Thanks for listening.”