MAYOR GIULIANI WELCOMES SCHOOL CHOICE SCHOLARSHIPS WINNERS " BACK-TO-SCHOOL"
"Right in front of us today is the one reason, really the 1,200 reasons, why this program makes sense," said Mayor Giuliani. "It makes sense because it is giving these children an opportunity they would not otherwise have. It is engaging them in a way that we, together as a society, did not engage them before. It is challenging them in ways they haven't been challenged. Now, thanks to the generosity of many people these children have the same opportunity that other children have, the opportunity to attend an independent private or parochial school. While so many people take that option for granted these children do not. I know that as a result they are trying their very best and meeting this challenge with enthusiasm and hard work.
"Let me say some things that this program is not. It is not a plan for all students, it cannot and should not be a plan for all students," the Mayor continued. "Our public schools, which educate 1.1 million New York City children, are charged to do this job, and they must do it well. That's why this year, with strong leadership at the top of the system in Chancellor Rudy Crew, with the power to enforce reform, and with new programs like "Project Read," "Project Smart Schools," and "Project Arts," we're moving forward with confidence," the Mayor concluded.
To be eligible for the School Choice Scholarships program children must have been attending a New York City public school; been entering grade one through five in September, 1997; and have qualified for the Federal free-lunch program. Eighty-five percent of the scholarship winners were attending schools in the bottom half of New York City's public schools.
"I am truly pleased that we have been able to provide scholarships for these students to attend the private schools of their choice," said Congressman Reverend Floyd H. Flake, a School Choice Scholarships Director. "This program is particularly effective, because it helps ensure that quality educational opportunities are not only reserved for the privileged."
Scholarship winners were chosen by lottery from more than 22,700 applications last May. The School Choice Scholarships Foundation provides three-year scholarships of up to $1,400 per year to any private school recognized by New York State.
"The ground-breaking efforts made by the winners and their families serve to remind all New Yorkers of the critical challenge we face today -- to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for the children of our City." said Bruce Kovner, Chairman of the School Choice Scholarships Foundation.
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