Transcript: Mayor de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Fariña, DYCD Commissioner Chong Announce 271 New Providers To Expand After-School Programs In Middle Schools; Urge Youth To Apply For Summer Enrichment Programs

June 17, 2014

Principal Manuel Ramirez: We would like to welcome all our guests, especially New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, with Chancellor Carmen Farina and Deputy Mayor Richard Buery, all elected officials who are reaching out here today. My name is Manuel Ramirez. I’m the principal of MS 327, one of the schools that is housed in this building. The other schools are Mount Eden Children Academy [inaudible] and also [inaudible] Community Center. I’m very proud to have you here today. I’m very proud of hosting this event. As much as we are proud of the type of work that we have been doing in this community campus since last year when we opened our doors and partnered with [inaudible].

Just for you to have an idea – through our partnership and collaboration with [inaudible], this building now has, the schools now have a fully-equipped [inaudible] to provide Montefiore Hospital with [inaudible] doctors, a registered nurse, mental health [inaudible], [inaudible]. Our students are given the opportunity to take [inaudible] classes. We also have been receiving workshops and college trips using [inaudible]. Our students attend [inaudible] center that is run by [inaudible].

[inaudible] information [inaudible] classrooms using [inaudible]. I could go on forever on this one, right? Just to get an example of the type of activities and programs our students have been able to enjoy and to participate in because of the collaboration that we have with [inaudible] in this building.

Now, [inaudible] without compromising for a second the laser-like focus on academics that our students receive, our school is preparing students for college. Period. And [inaudible] high quality education so we can take on any [inaudible]. This is not a job that has been done in isolation. This is a job that is done by a team. And we are all [inaudible].

[inaudible] participate [inaudible] cafeteria staff [inaudible] in this building. And we have been able to build a team. And this means respect each other’s opinion, background, ideas. We respect one another because we all understand the value of the job that has to be done [inaudible].

Now, as I was thinking last night, I said, “Wow. This team is the village that will rise, educate the children of this community.” And I said to myself, this is a winning team. I’m going to bet on this team. I’m going to bet that we will provide the education that we are [inaudible] students deserve. And I said I’m going to bet on this because we cannot afford to lose this bet. Can’t. And there is too much at stake. [inaudible] We can’t lose this bet because I don’t to be [inaudible] singing I Love Brooklyn on Jimmy Kimmel Live, right?

[Laughter]

Ladies and gentlemen, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Manny just brought up a painful episode in my life. I had thought I had put it behind me, but now you’ve brought it back so sharply. Sometimes at night in my dreams, I see Jimmy Kimmel again.

So, I want to thank Manny for his extraordinary work as principal of MS 327. It is one of the programs here in this amazing building where just extraordinary things are happening. I want to thank you for being a big part of that success.

I want to thank Jack Doyle, who I got to know last year – the executive director of the New Settlement Community Campus – for his great leadership.

[Applause]

I want to thank the principal of PS 555, Jessica Torres Maheia.

[Applause]

And I want to – help me, help me here with the number. Barbara Hanson, the principal of P10X – thank you.

[Applause]

You’re going to hear from a number of members of the administration. I want to thank them all for being here. I want to thank our health commissioner, Mary Basset, who is a huge proponent of the kind of programs –

[Applause]

– the kind of programs that come with the community school model. And we thank her for all of her participation in support of our efforts – pre-k, afterschool, community schools – the whole set. And that is a segue into how I want to frame what we’re talking about today.

The idea of where we’re trying to go with our school system is to build one reform upon another and have them all add up to a very different reality for our children and for our families. Obviously, the first major thrust was our pre-k effort. We’re now building upon that with a substantial afterschool effort, which you’ll see this summer and going into the fall. And the community schools effort – next wave after that. And they all fit together to create a very different reality in our school system.

If you want to see what the schools of tomorrow will look like in New York City, you have come to the right place, because here, at New Settlement, a lot of it is already happening. And everyone at New Settlement should be proud. Give yourselves a round of applause.

[Applause]

And a special thank you to the parents who are here with us –

[Applause]

– because, as I always like to say, as parents we’re the first and last teachers of our children. And the whole thing works when parents are involved. And that’s another piece of what we’re changing about our school system with Chancellor Fariña’s leadership. So, again, putting it in context, we believe in pre-k, we believe in afterschool, we believe in community schools. We need all of these pieces to be moving to really transform our school system.

Here in this building, each and every one of them is happening right now. And the fact is – and you should talk to these parents, because they’ll tell you from their own experience what a difference it makes in the lives of their children. We’re going to do all of those efforts simultaneously. We’re going to greatly deepen the connection between our teachers and our parents – that’s one of the big reforms in the new teacher contract. We’re going to do a whole series of reforms from the contract. All of these pieces have to synergize to create a very different – and better – school system.

Here, at New Settlement, you can see it with your own eyes. There is a full-service medical clinic in this building. There’s a community center. There’s a rooftop garden. It is a place that is welcoming of parents and families – a place that recognizes the education of the child must involve the family. Someone I used to work for had a phrase, it takes a village to raise a child. She borrowed it from an African proverb. It’s true – fundamentally true.

Here, at New Settlement that is happening. And the results are striking. We believe in the community school model. We believe in the notion that bringing parents into the schools, providing healthcare services and other supports for the whole family, change, fundamentally, our ability to educate our children. The [inaudible] model originated here in New York City, as Richard Buery likes to attest, from his former life at Children’s Aid Society. It has worked around the country – most notably, in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the entire school system works on [inaudible] model. It is the shape of things to come.

I have pledged that we will have 100 community schools in the city by the end of this term.

[Applause]

The state of New York is going to match that with another 100 community schools all over the state.

[Applause]

And today, we’re proud to announce $52 million in grants that create 40 new community schools that will open this September. This fall.

And when you think about it, being able to reach the whole child – being able to take care of the healthcare needs of the child right on the spot, address problems as they occur, get ahead of problems through preventative care, addressing the child’s needs across the board in the academic context, [inaudible] with everything we’re doing in our schools.

You’re going to be hearing a lot more about the community schools effort throughout the summer and fall. And my message to principals – and my message to heads of community-based organizations that are interested – is apply now. Because these grants have just been announced and there’s a great chance to build your school into a community school if you qualify. So, the time is now.

And, again, we’ve started to strongly with our pre-k effort. We’re now deepening our afterschool effort. We’re moving into our community schools effort. All of these pieces go together.

Let me give you an update on what we’re doing with afterschool. Because I’ve said all along – and I hear this from parents all the time – afterschool is such a huge difference-maker. It extends the learning day, provides an enrichment that is not there without it, keeps kids safe and sound, helps kids to the right path, including a lot of young people at the middle school level, where we’re focused, who might be tempted by some of the negative dynamics around them – gives them a positive option. And this is something we have to do more and more in our society – actually put our money where our mouth is.

If we want kids to take the right path, we have to make that path available to them. And that’s what we’re going to do with these afterschool programs.

[Applause]

Starting this summer, going into the next school year, and finishing in the year after that, we will do a couple of different things. We’re going to expand afterschool opportunities for middle school kids to the point that if any middle school child needs afterschool during the school year, you’ll have the right to it for free. Any child who needs it will get it.

This starts with the $145 million commitment we’ve made for the coming fiscal year. That will expand to $190 million for Fiscal Year ’16. It’s going to be a two-year rollout and we’ll reach the point – just as our pre-k plan does – where every child who needs to be served will be served.

And, we have selected 200 – and this is an important piece of news, an important piece of progress – we’ve selected 271 providers, who will be offering an impressive array of programs to our kids. So that means that starting this September in all five boroughs, there will be many more options for our middle school kids, many more seats available, many more ways to match a child’s need to an afterschool program. And we’re very excited about what this is going to do, because it means a lot of kids who may have been falling behind a little bit are now going to have that helping hand, are going to have that homework help, that tutoring, that enrichment. They’re going to have that opportunity to have some one-on-one support, with professionals who can help them afterschool. It’s going to be transcendent for a lot of kids. And now we’ve chosen the providers, so people are about to see the exact locations that they can participate in starting this fall.

But there’s another piece that’s absolutely crucial, which is – we know that so many times over the summer, our kids lose some of their momentum. Some kids who most need to keep up with the achievement they’ve made in the school year, unfortunately, in the summer months, start to fall behind again. A lot of effort is put into helping them to get to grade level, and it starts to atrophy when they don’t have the constant reinforcement of teaching and enrichment [inaudible]. Which is why the summer element of our afterschool programs is so crucial. We’re going to reach a lot of kids who need that extra boost. And we’re going to do it this summer. We’re proud to announce that we are doubling the number of spaces available to middle school kids for this summer. Summer enrichment programs happening this summer will double from 17,000 –

[Applause]

– from 17,000 to 34,000 seats for middle school kids all over the city. When you add that to the seats we already have for elementary school kids, that will take us to a total of 55,000 kids who will participate in summer enrichment programs.

[Applause]

So, more and more, the message we’re sending to our children is – we’re investing in you, we believe in you, we’re not going to let you fall. If you’re having a challenge, we’re going to address that challenge, we’re going to support you, we’re going to give you more opportunity not less. And the message we’re sending parents is – we understand how difficult it is to be a parent in New York City. And you need and deserve support. So we’re constantly going to be creating more options – whether it’s pre-k, whether it’s afterschool, whether it’s summer programs, whether it’s community schools – we’re going to be creating a host of options, a host of opportunity, to help parents do what is their most important job in life – supporting their children. But against all the odds in this city, parents do it every day. It’s time they got more help and all of these efforts will help them. And, again, with the enrichment programs this summer, 17,000 more New York children will benefit right now.

[Applause]

You’ll hear from the chancellor in a moment. She is – in all of our discussions – I have seen her passionate on many topics in education, but the impact of the summer continuity is one that she knows so well as a teacher and principal before she became chancellor – and she can speak to the effects it has.

What does it mean, by the way? These enrichment programs extend all of our other educational efforts. Let me give you examples – kids throughout July and into August can do things like, they can learn from ecologists at the Staten Island Zoo, they can learn photography from professional photographers, they can go learn about the life of plants at the New York Botanical Garden, they can visit historical sites and learn about the history of New York City, they can hone their musical talents – a host of activities that deepen their skills, deepen their commitment to education, and shows them what they’re capable.

Now, you’ve heard me say before – I am a public school parent. I think many people know that – and so I think, from the perspective of parents, all of the things going on in our lives, all of the busy-ness of our lives, we sometimes have to be reminded that if we want these great opportunities for our children, we have to sign up for them. And when is the best time to sign up for things that could help your children? Now.

I happen to have a handy sign-up form.

[Applause]

Summer enrichment programs for middle school students. Once again, with our ace team here, we have reduced the bureaucracy, we’ve reduced the paperwork down to one page. One page. There is no back of the page. It’s one page, on the front side of the page.

[Applause]

We are saving some trees here in New York City with our one-page forms. But, please, let every parent you know who wants to take advantage of these summer enrichment programs or the afterschool programs that we’ll build out starting in September, it’s important to apply as soon as the opportunities are available. I think I’ve said that a number of times on the pre-k front as well. I will keep saying, because it is important for parents to know.

Now just a quick moment in español.

Hoy hemos dado un gran paso para asegurar el éxito de nuestros estudiantes. Hemos doblado el número de programas gratis de verano para estudiantes de entre sexto y octavo grado, y en septiembre muchos más estudiantes de grados intermedios tendrán acceso a programas para después de la escuela. ¡Busque información y registre a su hijo hoy!

I’ve been informed of an updated pronunciation – they just changed it. Busque información y registre a su hijo hoy.

[Applause]

That is a lot easier than being on Jimmy Kimmel, let me tell you. With that I want to welcome a woman who makes all of these great changes happen in our schools and is doing an extraordinary job as the leader of New York City public schools. Our chancellor, Carmen Fariña.

[Applause]

Chancellor Carmen Fariña, Department of Education: Thank you. First of all, I want to thank the staff for everything [inaudible] and the city of New York has been through this many times. and that's because I came first to look at this middle school [inaudible]. Also, this is a Learning Partners school, and one of the reasons it’s a Learning Partners school is [inaudible] of what they’re doing, as a community school it’s extraordinary. And one of the major features – because this is also liked by parents, [inaudible] not imposed on parents, but it’s for parents [inaudible]. And [inaudible] otherwise someone’s going to write me an email.

And I think that is what a community school is. And I want [inaudible], a community school is not about a principal or a mayor or a chancellor deciding what a school needs, it’s about the community deciding what it needs. And I think what you see here and in many other community schools [inaudible] extraordinary work done because of the needs of that community. What I see here is also some of the best [inaudible] of the system. Again, we go back a very long time some of us. And that means you’re also going to have quality after school. It’s not babysitting, this is not plugging a hole. This is really taking the people who are masters at what they [inaudible] – she won’t even talk about it.

But I do think also, for parents who are listening out there, the afterschool program is a way to get your children involved in things that they may not have during the school day – or, even more importantly – anyone who has gone through a teenager understands that it’s the years, seventh grade in particular, where you would prefer to have them in boarding school than living in your home. But then you also want them – if they’re living in your home – engaged as long as possible in something that’s meaningful. And one of the things that hasn’t gone away and [inaudible] today is the fact that we have [inaudible]. All the things that are missing or not enough of, we’re going to have more of. And I think that’s really, really [inaudible]. Wouldn’t you rather have your kids doing that than wondering where they are? And I think it’s time the extended day is a part of that.

The other big thing about extended day is it allows kids to really focus in on working with other adults in ways that they’re not being judged. When you work with teachers, which they are, they’re going to evaluate you in some way. Afterschool programs is a way to [inaudible] with another adult. [inaudible] every teenager said, ‘I got to know my teacher in a more personal way’, and in many cases [inaudible]. So this is very, very important.

I think the – going through summer, going through the summer – [inaudible]. The parents should not have to search where they get the services [inaudible]. The mayor asks me also to put this in Spanish, so I’ll do my best. And [inaudible], feel free to jump in.

A los padres que están escuchando, la cosa más importante de lo que anunciaron hoy, vais a tener oportunidades a poner los chiquillos que están en los grados 6, 7, y 8 en la escuela después de las tres de la tarde. Pero para ponerlos en la escuela para hacer cosas como música, arte, gimnasio, tenéis que registrar. Si no estás registrado, no podéis estar en esta oportunidad. So la cosa más importante es que las escuelas van a mandar una página, mandamos una página que tenéis que firmar y mandar con su nombre, para poder saber dónde van a ser las oportunidades [inaudible] para mandar a los niños. No solo después de la escuela pero hasta en programas de verano. Y saber también que en muchas escuelas en muchas partes de la ciudad, vais a tener escuelas que van a tener doctores, dentistas, gente que les van a ayudar con la [inaudible], y es una cosa muy importante porque cada padre sabe que el niño [inaudible] en casa, y que nosotros no podemos hacer todo durante las nueve y las tres de la tarde. Muchísimas gracias y acuérdense de registrar.

[Applause]

Mayor: Our chancellor has been working with Deputy Mayor Buery and Bill Chong, our commissioner at the Department of Youth and Community Development. They’ve been doing an incredible job and [inaudible] teamwork to put together summer enrichment programs and the afterschool programs for the fall. It’s been a great example of [inaudible] work together. [inaudible] thank you for your leadership, bringing all the pieces together. Now I’d like to give you a chance to hear from the leading expert in our administration on the impact of afterschool, [inaudible] has such a great history on this, our commissioner, Bill Chong.

[Applause]

Commissioner Bill Chong, Department of Youth and Community Development: I want to first thank the mayor for his leadership and his commitment to young people. I think this investment is huge. Having been – working with the city for a number of years, I’ve seen the ups and downs in afterschool, and many providers [inaudible] ups and downs. But this investment will impact a generation of young people. And that’s something I think we have to acknowledge.

[Applause]

And it truly has taken a village to create this new system. And I want to thank many of our partners who made this possible. First of all the chancellor, who has led the way on getting principals on board. The reason we had 271 new programs is because the chancellor reached out personally to principals and encouraged them, and educated them about the value of afterschool programs.

[Applause]

The very first afterschool program I visited with the mayor and the chancellor was up here in the Bronx, at least not that far from here, and the phrase that I’ve stolen from the chancellor many times – she talked about the joy of learning. And afterschool programs help bring back the joy of learning. And you know, as adults, you learn in different ways. And with young people, it is no different. And so we have to make the programs relevant, fun, engaging, and that’s what the summer programs do, especially because you have more time, you can do more [inaudible]. And so, I want to thank the chancellor for her leadership because without the principals, this program will not be successful. We know from many years of experience that the first step to a successful program is a strong partnership between the principal and the non-profit. And that has happened with this process.

I want to thank Commissioner Bassett and her staff and the Department of Cultural Affairs, they have built a [inaudible] system. And I want to thank the providers who fought for this for the last ten years. Their passion for young people has inspired us, their focus keeps us on time. And, I want to finally thank our staff who is somewhere in the back there, because we did all this. We did a similar process a decade ago, it took us eighteen months. We did it in four months.

[Applause]

And unfortunately, the reward for all their hard work is more hard work. Thank you again, and just one last plug about the summer enrollment – the form that the mayor showed is online on our website, you can fill it out, and it’s a fillable form so we encourage – and you can call 311, and our website is www.nyc.gov/dycd.

[Applause]

Mayor: We brought him in to pitch to one batter, that was very good. Let’s do it again – www.nyc.gov/dycd. That’s how you get information on the summer enrichment programs and the afterschool programs for the fall, or you can call 311. They have all the information ready, right? Good. [inaudible] that, always doing quality control, okay? Can’t do enough of that, right? Okay. We had a great friend and ally in all of our efforts to help children. He has been forceful and focused and every time we’ve said we need help [inaudible], we need help reaching people in neighborhoods all over the Bronx, he’s been there for us. Great friend, the Borough President of the Bronx, Ruben Diaz Jr.

[Applause]

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.: Thank you, good afternoon everyone. Thank you Mr. Mayor. First let me just say that it was a pleasure to [inaudible] singing that song you had to sing on television, because we are from New York, and New York is the best city no matter what, alright? And we have a wonderful mayor in Mayor de Blasio. It’s only fitting that we’re having this announcement here in the Bronx, right here in this campus. This campus, I believe, serves as a microcosm for the mayor’s [inaudible] or vision, as it pertains to educating our youth. And that [inaudible] not only those in the pedagogical field, but also working with the commissioner of youth services, working with the health commissioner, working with providers, making sure that the parents are involved. And this is what happened here. And when we speak of this announcement and how this money is going to give the opportunity for more Bronxites, more Bronx kids [inaudible] New Yorkers to be able to have the opportunity to go into a school building during the summer months, to go into a school building afterschool, starting next year. That for me is long overdue. Long over due, and then the reality – yes. The providers know that.

[Applause]

Many of us in this area, with this conversation, we have felt left out. Many of us have felt that our [inaudible] deaf ears in the past. And with Mayor de Blasio – and let me just something about this chancellor – I don’t know if she’s doing the same in other boroughs, I think that other boroughs are going to get jealous – but she’s always in the Bronx. She’s a breath of fresh air, we love her.

[Applause]

And we don’t have to be melancholy about – thinking about afterschool programs, we don’t have to say to our kids, you know we’re going to stop them from getting in trouble. The fact of the matter is that this should be fun. You know, our children when given the resources and the time and the attention – we have children here and throughout the city of New York who are diamonds in the rough. And many of them want to go into art, many of them want to go into music, many of them just want to have a good time with special adults in their lives – whether they’re their parents or their educators. And this, Mr. Mayor, it can afford them that opportunity so that we can polish up our diamonds and they can go on and conquer the world, right? And that’s why we’re so happy.

[Applause]

And before I say something in Spanish, as the Borough President, and I hope [inaudible] gets this: parents who are not in this room, a lot of folks are always complaining about government – what government does or is not doing or should be doing. Under the mayor’s leadership, government now is doing. It is incumbent upon the parents now to register – register – do it with UPK, do it with the summer programs, do it for afterschool. Don’t complain to me. Don’t complain to me, we’ve already spoken to the chancellor, we’ve spoken to all the commissioners, we’ve had conversations with the mayor. And the mayor made this announcement here in the Bronx, and it is now incumbent upon folks to go and register their kids and take advantage of these wonderful opportunities.

Brevemente en español, al Alcalde de Blasio le quiero dar las gracias por hacer este anuncio aquí en el condado de las [inaudible], condado del Bronx. Que nosotros nos sentimos sumamente orgullosos de tenerlo aquí, porque para nosotros, ya por tanto tiempo lamentablemente, en el condado del Bronx y yo sé en otros sectores de la ciudad de Nueva York, nos sentimos que él [inaudible] de educación han estado cerrados para nuestros niños fuera de las horas de educación. Y ahora con este anuncio, nos dan la oportunidad – a los padres específicamente – para poder traer a sus hijos, para poder seguir con su talento. Muchos de nuestros niños tienen talentos pero a veces ni siquiera saben donde ir. Nuestros padres aquí están orgullosos de [inaudible] en este edificio. Pero con este anuncio, con este dinero, nosotros ahora le vamos a dar esa oportunidad a muchos más, no solamente en el condado del Bronx, si no a nivel de la ciudad de Nueva York. Y también le queremos dar las gracias a la canciller de la ciudad de Nueva York, del departamento de educación, que por muchos – desde que empezó, ha estado aquí en nuestro condado. Yo sé que los otros condados se van a poner celosos, pero por lo menos nos gusta y nos sentimos bien que la Canciller Fariña está pasando mucho tiempo aquí en el condado del Bronx, y por eso le queremos dar las gracias. Por final, le quiero decir a los padres que muchos se quejan de lo que el gobierno está haciendo o no está haciendo. No se quejen ahora. Ya hemos hablado con la canciller, con los comisionados, con el Alcalde de Blasio, y por fin tenemos los recursos. Ahora la responsabilidad cae en los padres que se tienen que registrar. Registrar a los niños no solamente para pre-kindergarten si no los programas del verano y también de los programas de después de que se cierre las escuelas. Ahora la responsabilidad cae en estos padres. Señor Alcalde, le queremos dar las gracias. Thank you all.

[Applause]     

Mayor: We have one more speaker, then we will take questions on these topics, then we will take questions off topic. But, before the next speaker, I just want to thank, this man has been a great friend and ally with all of our efforts to help children, I think him for his work in support of these efforts, the City Council, Councilmember Andrew Cohen, thank you so much.

[Applause]

Mayor: Finally, I would like to introduce Esperanza Vasquez, I want to tell you a little about Esperanza. Get ready Esperanza. Get ready, I know all about when your cue comes and you have to sing, you don’t have to sing though, it’s going to be much easier. So, Esperanza is the Pre-K president at M.S. 327, she is – you can clap for that.

[Applause]

Mayor: Hardworking, single mother, of two young men – the youngest, currently in seventh grade here. Esperanza came to this country, like so many New Yorkers today, and so many New Yorkers before, to give a better life for her children. And she has worked very hard to achieve that. She’s worked as a babysitter, as a flower vendor, as a janitor, whatever it took – and found the time to be involved in the school. And then a PTA leader at every one of her children’s schools. That is something that we should appreciate – I would like to uphold – the many, many, many parents in this town, cause no matter what [inaudible] they put in that extra effort to help their children. One of the reasons New York City is so great, but they often don’t get the thanks they deserve. So, Esperanza, [inaudible] so many other hardworking parents who do the right thing. Let’s welcome her and thank her, Esperanza Vasquez.

[Applause]

[Spanish]

Interpreter: Welcome, Mayor de Blasio, Chancellor Fariña, and Deputy Mayor Richard Buery, Commissioner Bill Chong. Welcome, also to the elected officials and the guests that are here with us. I am a friend of Vasquez, and I am a mother of two children, President of M.S. 327, and a leader with the parent action committee, in these settlement apartments, and also a leader with the coalition of educational justice for [inaudible]. Today, I would like to say is a great day, that we’ve been waiting for a long time. It means change for all of our students – our students here in New York City, and particularly, those of the Bronx. The initiative – the new school – the new community school initiative, and programs, and the afterschool programs that are run now for middle school, represent a great step forward to the future of our children.

[Spanish]

[Applause]

Interpreter: As a mother, I have seen the power that these programs can have in the lives of children – my own included. At M.S. 327, where my child has been for the last two years, I can tell you that this is an example of what a community school is. Bridgehampton was founded by [inaudible] settlement apartments in conjunction with the department of education and many elected officials – with a vision and commitment to have a good level of education for our community.

[Spanish]

Interpreter: Today, our school has a Montefiore clinic within it – it has a fresh food program, and it has swimming for every student, art programs, and college prep for every student that is in high school.

[Spanish]

Interpreter: The only thing that was missing in this school was an afterschool program. But, today I am pleased, because there’s going to be included in this school, as well as many other middle schools throughout the city. They are going to be able to offer from now on, these support systems. When my oldest child was in middle school, I had to search for these programs outside of the school. But, through this initiative, students are going to have an opportunity to enrich their knowledge and develop their capacity of being good students.

[Spanish]

Interpreter: A good example of how these programs are going to benefit our students, is my own son, Grover. As he was – he entered the school with a reading level of a third grader. But now with the support of individual teachers, and programs [inaudible], he improved. And now he has the ability to read at grade level and he has the confidence to participate in the classroom.

[Applause]

[Spanish]

Interpreter: Through this initiative, we are beginning to put our children on the path, so we’re closing the educational gap in our great cities and to put our children on the professional path that New York City should have, including, my own children. Thank you very much.

[Applause]

Mayor: All right, let’s take questions on this topic. Yes.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: [Inaudible] The definition, from my point of view – and I saw this with my own eyes, of what  children’s aid society has done, I certainly saw it with my own eyes in Cincinnati – I was absolutely blown away. Is, providing a range of services that address children’s needs and family needs. So, for example, on the children’s needs – by having the health services – not just physical health, mental health services, it makes a world of a difference, in terms of addressing whatever a child is experiencing. There’s no delay, no bureaucracy, it’s right there. By definition, that also helps the parents become more involved with the school, more involved with their child’s education, more involved in addressing whatever their child needs. But that’s just one example of how telling it is. To me, it is not just the actual service that’s provided, that changes the model towards a deeper engagement you see in the school, and the parents, the school, and the whole family. You can add all sorts of things on top of that, and we’ve all for a long time wanted to see school buildings used by the total community more deeply, and this is certainly a gateway to that. But in essence, it is about the deeper ability to address children’s’ needs and to bring the family [inaudible] it’s something that is particularly needed in lower income communities, but it is something that every kind of community benefits from and we’re certainly looking forward in time, to expanding [inaudible]

Richard Buery, Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives: Thank you, I’ll just add a brief thought. I would not think that [inaudible]. Fundamentally, if we [inaudible] would have a strategy, for addressing the many challenges and barriers that get in the way of a child being able to come to [inaudible] alone. So, the challenges that a community may face will vary from community to community. The resources available [inaudible]. Ultimately, the community school, is committed to saying that if a child comes to school hungry, we’re going to have a strategy for getting him fed. If a child comes to school sick, we’re going to have a strategy for [inaudible]. Because, ultimately, a school that has those resources in play, is a school [inaudible]. What you’ll see in the schools – we’ll typically have things like [inaudible], or mental health, [inaudible], but it will vary based on [inaudible] community needs [inaudible] and when [inaudible] characteristics [inaudible] school that is connected to the [inaudible] community that those services [inaudible] delivered more effectively and more efficiently and more comprehensively so that families don’t have to go around running to figure out [inaudible].

Chancellor Farina: I think telling the service providers here [inaudible] that they [inaudible]. Many of our communities do not have a place to hang out, and I’m saying that in the nicest possible way. And I’m really convinced that adolescents in particular need a place to just relax and socialize and learn the most important thing that [inaudible] emotional [inaudible]. But parents say the same thing. When I come here to visit and other community-based schools one of the things I [inaudible] I see a place where you guys can meet and have [inaudible], and that’s something that particularly in New York City [inaudible] many people live in very small spaces, and to have a place to go and socialize and, you know, you bring your own coffee [inaudible] is really something very important. We both feel sometimes probably frustrated by not having some [inaudible] of your peers. [Inaudible] another parent, or be another older brother, so I think that’s another [inaudible], how do you build a community? It also means sometimes you’re available [inaudible] on weekends, that this is not just a five-day a week, but it’s actually a seven-day a week. And in this particular site [inaudible] they’re almost open every single day and [inaudible] hours, so it really is how do you use [inaudible] to do anything a community would do, and do it better? 

Question: [Inaudible] long-term plan [inaudible]?

Mayor: There’s not a plan on the table yet. We obviously have a series of very ambitious goals in terms of full-day Pre-K for all, after-school for all middle school students, the 100 community schools in the first term. In terms of where I’d like to see us evolve as a city and as a society I’d like to see us do a lot more for [inaudible]. But we don’t have a plan yet because we first half to achieve our core set of plans before we can work on others.

Question: Mayor, [inaudible] extension of services and medical services [inaudible] how [inaudible] is it for [inaudible] community schools [inaudible] ordinary?

Mayor: [Inaudible] the experts speak to this [inaudible]. I’ll simply say this: We—in this case we’re starting with some state grant money which we’re very appreciative of. It’s something we’ll build out with a variety of sources over time. I believe this in my heart: This is such a smart investment. The multiplier effect on this investment is extraordinary. You help children to learn better, because the involvement of their parents and family. You help the parents and family be better at supporting their children at home. You know, nights, weekends, in terms of their homework and their educational trajectory. You catch health problems of all sorts earlier and address them better. There’s not only huge cost savings because of the investment, humanly, morally it is an extraordinarily sound investment that helps our children to actually realize their potential, and be held back because the helping hand wasn’t there for them, so I feel the economics play out very positively.

Deputy Mayor Buery: I’ll just add that dollars invested in community schools are among the most effectively leveraged dollars [inaudible] in education. Because again, part of what you have to remember in each of these communities there’s already investments being made in after-school; there’s already investments being made in our healthcare, and all of the services that children need. But also what’s missing is a coordinated strategy that brings all those services together. So it’s not fundamentally about new money and new programs. It’s fundamentally about coordinating resources that they are delivered more effectively. [Inaudible] about community schools [inaudible] I [inaudible] the community schools [inaudible] and he said because that’s where the money is. The strategy is that you bring services to schools because that’s where [inaudible] children and families. It’s about connecting those services, bringing them so that a family—a struggling family doesn’t have to figure out the ten, twenty different places it has to go. At my previous employer, the Children’s AIDS Society, we recently did a study which looked at the [inaudible] investment of dollars invested in community schools, and found significant multiplier effects. A dollar invested in that coordinating strategy really had massive effects on how efficiently services were delivered, how effectively they were delivered.

Mayor: [Inaudible] from the Chancellor who just reminded me that the impact in terms of attendance is also extraordinary. Remember, we have a huge complex school system. We put a huge amount of money into it, but if kids don’t actually walk through the door, that massive investment doesn’t have the impact it should have for those children who aren’t there each day. So we know that the community school model helps improve attendance. For one reason, because it’s a more engaging model that serves children better. For another reason it gets at some of the things that might keep people away from school legitimately, like health challenges. But a third reason, because the parents become much deeper allies in education, it helps them to know what’s going on better and to be on top of anything [inaudible] a child might be not attending. So when you improve attendance, you improve the effectiveness of the whole education process. You also [inaudible] on a long path, and we know that a lot of lives, sadly, are young people, end up in trouble with the law, is because we are not providing good enough alternatives, and we’re not addressing some of their core needs. The better we do that, the better we do at keeping them way from trouble in terms of the kind of mischief that would lead them to problems with the law. That is, again, humanly, an amazing achievement—every time we get a young person to put them on the right path, and keep them away from the wrong path. There is obviously a huge cost when we fail to do that, in corrections, in a whole number of other areas [Inaudible] great economic rationale.

Question: [Inaudible]?

Mayor: No, there’s obviously more to go to.

Deputy Mayor Buery: I mean, we could—so like, I think it’s difficult to generalize an answer because different [inaudible] have different services based on the needs of the community. But we can [inaudible] get you more information [inaudible] the community schools [inaudible] there is not one particular model for the grants that the Mayor’s announcing. That grant provides on average about $300,000 for each of the schools [inaudible]. And the idea that money could be used both to deliver services but also to coordinate and leverage other services [inaudible] community [inaudible] to deliver them more efficiently [inaudible].

Unknown: [Inaudible].

Deputy Mayor Buery: I couldn’t speak for them, but I’m sure the folks [inaudible].

Question: [Inaudible]?

Mayor: [Inaudible] clearly we’re going to work with them as we play out this larger strategy and I think there is a tremendous amount of involvement in terms of the UFT’s desire to see if this model works. I think the reason is simple because it improves the education dynamic for everyone. It certainly brings parents in more deeply. I think it makes it more possible for parents—for teachers to teach effectively. And I think there’s a true belief that this is the shape of things to come. So we’re doing this announcement the same way we would do any other announcement, but I can certainly say there’s going to be important after [inaudible].

Question: [Inaudible] have had some [inaudible] test scores [inaudible]?

Mayor: I will start. If they want to weigh in… I think everyone knows I do not pray at the altar of high-stakes testing. 

[Applause]

Mayor: Thank you. [Laughter]. Test scores are one measure. There are many other measures that give us a true sense of how a young person is doing, so I would take the question and turn it a little bit. I would say we want children to succeed. I am convinced that this model helps them succeed. I’m convinced it helps them be healthier. I’m convinced it brings families more into the educational process. I think we have to constantly check to see if we’re achieving our larger goals. So for example, some of you asked in some of our previous sessions if we’re going to be testing the results of our Pre-K programs and after-school programs to see what the outcomes are. Of course we are. We believe fundamentally in these investments we’re making. We think they’re proven many times over by a lot of research and a lot of experience given around the country. But we constantly are going to look to get the quality levels right, to make adjustments. There will be ongoing studies. There will be ongoing quality control. But it will not be about simply a single set of tests scores. That will never be the way we make our final decision.

Chancellor Farina: First of all, the main goal is education, to make sure kids get an education and be able to get a job. They can’t do that if they’re sick. They can’t do that if they’re hungry. They can’t do that if they don’t have a place to do homework, and they can’t do that if they don’t have an adult who cares about them deeply enough [inaudible]. So we expect that there will be progress but it doesn’t happen over night, but these are all the steps to get there.

Mayor: On-topic?

Question: [Inaudible].

Mayor: Okay, so we talked about physical, mental health. We talked about [inaudible].

Unknown: [Inaudible].

Mayor: Teamwork.

Chancellor Farina: You’re not going to stay. I think first of all we [inaudible] more phys ed, you know that physical education is important in middle school. We certainly want to see more arts programs, and I think we’re going to see a lot more of that [inaudible] the kids put on a performance down at the [inaudible] and that’s really an important part. I mean that’s the [inaudible] I’ve been seeing a lot about here in the Bronx. And I think also, the other thing we want too see a lot more of, is things like Legos Robotics, programs that inspire kids in ways where they do academic [inaudible] without realizing [inaudible], [inaudible] programs, [inaudible]. These are all after-school programs that I think are crucial to success.

Deputy Mayor Buery: I’ll add, and I’m sorry to be repetitive, but often schools will include comprehensive medical, dental services, mental health services, often will have early childhood programs that are inside the building, well-integrated into the school system, in the school day, so that children can enter an early childhood program, in the pre-kindergarten program, and go right to kindergarten. But fundamentally, what you will find in a given school should be based on the interests and needs of the children, the families, the resources, and the communities. So again, every community school you walk into should look different because fundamentally the school should be responsive to the needs [inaudible] community.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: I’m watching you closely, Henry.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: [inaudible] Walzak will allow the question. Close enough? Phil allows it. Okay. The – every since you played that role of the Jeopardy host of the inner circle – [inaudible]. I think we have to change the admissions process for our specialized high schools, across the board. And that will take some time, by definition. But I, again, do not believe that a single test should be a determinant, particularly of something that’s life-changing for so many young people. We have to determine what combination of measures would be fair. These are schools that demand, rightly, a high quality level – and by definition we will maintain a very high quality level, a very high bar for admissions, but we want to look at the whole child. And, there are some kids who excel at standardized testing, there are some kids who are incredibly great writers or creative thinkers or are artistic. And we need to represent that whole spectrum and we know how to do that in ways that are other than standardized tests. I do think, on the point about programs that can help prepare kids and maximize opportunity for some kids who have not had as much opportunity, that’s good too. And so we’ll mix and match the approaches, but the bottom line is, I ultimately want to get us away from a single test as the determinant.

Chancellor Fariña: We already have a discovery program in many of our schools and [inaudible] so people understand, it’s a regular program not something that pacifies kids with parents. Kids can sign up in sixth grade and do it every sixth, seventh and eighth grade after school and also [inaudible] during the summer. It’s a very rigorous program that allows kids, gives kids a lot of extra support. [inaudible]

Mayor: One more on topic. [buzzer] That is not a disqualifying buzzer. So all type of questions will be allowed.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Okay, so just the fact before I call up Richard Buery. Seventeen thousand new seats. Seventeen thousand—this on the first part then I’ll go into the details—17 thousands seats so those with worse [inaudible] for seventeen thousand seats for middle school kids for summer [inaudible] this program. We have doubled that to 34,000. Now as to the configuration.

Deputy Mayor Buery: The seventeen thousand that are increased at our existing programs. They are basically our community centers. Who pays community centers? Beacon, our community centers in public housing—Cornerstone. And there is fifteen school-based programs. We felt that that was the fastest way to ramp up in such a short time.

Mayor: Let’s go to off topics.

Question: The head of ISIS [inaudible] released [inaudible] in 2009 that “I will see you in New York.” Now that ISIS has [inaudible] potential terrorist threats to New York City [inaudible]. This is something that you and the administration feel [inaudible] and also have you discussed—or will you be discussing—the possibility with President Obama today or [inaudible]?

Mayor: Well, we are certainly aware of the statement that he made. We don’t take any threat lightly. I’ve said many times we know we are sadly the number one terror target in the world. That continues, that will continue for quite a while and we plan with that assumption in mind, we resource the NYPD with that assumption in mind and we are constantly vigilant because we know that reality. So we are quite aware of the statement that he has made. We are quite aware of the growth of this organization and it’s something that I’ve talked to Commissioner Bratton about regularly and when it’s appropriate to talk to our federal partners, we do. But rest assured we are quite vigilant in this situation.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: This is, this is the most interesting issue that has come up in a while. Now I don’t know how the photographer involved—Rob Bennett—managed to make my hair look lighter, but my hair has not changed between yesterday and today. So, still I want a full investigation of what Rob did to that photo. If we have me with green hair tomorrow we’ll know who the culprit is. But no, my hair has not changed.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: We’re very clear that our job is to insure affordability at Stuy town going forward. And that is imperative for us because it’s one of the biggest concentrations of affordable housing in the city. I don’t feel good about the history here, in the sense that I think the city did not play the  role it should’ve. In the past decade in terms of defending this affordable housing, we are actively engaged with GW Capital in terms of the work methods that [inaudible] defend affordable housing. Very appreciative that Senator Schumer has played such an active role and we appreciate the actions of the federal housing lenders where we have real agreement that nothing will be approved in the way of federal lending if the affordable housing needs of New York City are not addressed. So I think we are in a strong position right now because of the early engagement with GW Capital, because of the federal work [inaudible] provided, being provided. A lot of work to do, but it’s a very, very hot priority for us.

Question: Mr. Mayor, [inaudible]

Mayor: Our program is six hours and twenty minutes. That is how we—that is the standard—and so the rules of the road here for any organization, a community based organization, a charter school, a catholic school, yeshiva, everyone understands one standard: six hours and twenty minutes. And as you know, the DOE has worked with religious schools before on pre-K with a clear standard that it has to be separated from any religious instruction. There is lots of quality control, there is lots of monitoring. If a school doesn’t make that separation, they won’t be allowed to continue in the program. But we think that the schools we have talked to understand that that is how this works and they are going to follow these rules.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Look, I think the Rent Guidelines Board’s job is to look at a lot of information and decide what makes sense first and foremost based on the actual facts, the actual numbers. I have urged very clearly and consistently that they think deeply about the affordability crisis afflicting our city, and the fact that even in some of the years when people were hurting the most in the last few years, rent levels approved by the Rent Guidelines Board previously were quite high. So I’ve certainly urged them to look at all those factors. It is a body that has a lot more work to do before it makes a final determination and as you know there is a wide range of views on that body, but my hope is that they will make a decision based on the numbers and one that also addresses the affordability crisis.

Question: As Public Advocate you made it a big point to [inaudible] on their response to FOIL. I was wondering how you would rate your own administration.

Mayor: I am not an expert on how we’ve handled these requests, but from what I’ve seen so far we have worked consistently to be responsive. As you know we are going to be transparent about the requests we receive, which is going to allow everyone to see the timeline that they are on. That is a huge step forward and one you do not see in very many governments. But I also will say—I knew this before, I know it even more now—that each request is individual. Each one has different dynamics and we are going to follow the law in the requests and look at each request and look at each one individually. But I like the fact that we are being very open about the timeline.

Question: Do you have a letter grade that—

Mayor: I don’t have a letter grade for you today, but I’m pleased with our efforts so far.

Question: Police Commissioner Bratton recently compared, you know, Subway dancers, what he called “acrobats” to [inaudible] that they were a sign of urban decay and [inaudible] sort of akin to the “squeegee men” that used to kind of one time [inaudible]. I’m kind of wondering, first of all, do you agree and how are subway dancers a sign of declining quality of life?

Mayor: I would say it in my own words. I think we have an obligation to make sure that people are safe wherever they go in the city, including in the Subways. That there is an orderly environment and that we have to uphold a single set of standards for everyone. So I think what the Commissioner has pointed to throughout his career is, you can’t be elected if someone is violating the law or a rule there has to be enforcement. Now there is officer discretion. And we know in many cases a warning might suffice. But the point is we have to set a standard where the city is functioning well and is orderly and I share that view with the Commissioner.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: A couple of things and then I’ll turn to the Chancellor. First of all, as you know, we have a moratorium on closures because the previous administration’s policy on closures I thought was counterproductive. I thought a  lot of schools were closed while there’s still an opportunity to fix what was wrong and I think when you close a school there are lots of unintended consequences. So our approach is going to be much more focused on fixing the problem. We have talked about the kinds of teams of personnel we are going to send into those schools, in many cases a new principal, new assistant principals, new master teachers, who can really give a revamping to the approach of that school and give it a chance to succeed.
Once we have a new process in place for addressing school recovery—we’re also obviously going to have standards and timelines—and if we feel after applying all the tools we have in a reasonable timeframe that we can’t fix the problem then we will move to a closure. But it is a very different approach. We want to exhaust all of our approaches and resources first before we jump to a closure. I think that is the opposite approach from the previous administration.

Chancellor Fariña: First of all, I wouldn’t want to have a district named after me, unless it was really [inaudible]. So there is no intention whatsoever of having Chancellor [inaudible]. In every school that has struggled, struggled with kids in need. So I would say one of the major changes that we’ve made is that every school that we want to support, that’s really just [inaudible]. As far as rule of thumb, because we are actually visiting it, the school in its entirety. We’re not looking at schools through the paper, off evaluations and how do we physically visit everything at [inaudible]. We have already [inaudible]. We will decide what specifics of what we need. But if anything [inaudible] really value their teachers and their education. So we [inaudible] force in that struggle and there is no chance that [inaudible].

Question: Mr. Mayor your administration is trying to throw the Democratic National Convention in 2016. Just a two part question. One would be what sort of political symbolism are you trying to convey by making it a Brooklyn [inaudible]. And secondly, if she runs—Hillary Clinton, who you know quite well—perhaps the favorite to be the nominee, [inaudible] any coordination between your camp and [inaudible].

Mayor: No, we are adamant that we think the Democratic National Convention in New York City is good for New York City. We think it is an incredible opportunity to know what we have to a national audience. We think it’s something that we can produce effectively and in a cost-efficient manner, which is different from other types of events that have—I said in the past—spiral out of control. This is one we know how to do, we know how to do well, we’ve done a lot of times. It comes with a lot of benefits to us. And I think it’s very exciting that we would give the world a better view of Brooklyn, another chance to see all the amazing things that are happening in Brooklyn. I love all five boroughs.

My home borough is very important to me and I think it has so much to offer that having the convention in Brooklyn, having it in a beautiful arena, would be great for the Democratic Party and it would be great for New York City. So we made this decision based on what we thought was [inaudible] of New York City. We don’t know who the nominee is going to be but whoever the nominee is, it’s going to be a great opportunity for the Democratic Party to achieve its [inaudible].

Thanks everyone.

[Applause]