LIU HOLDING TOWN HALL MEETINGS ON EDUCATION
Events Air New Yorkers' Concerns on Neglect of Communities of Color
City Comptroller John C. Liu announced that he is holding a series of Town Hall Meetings to air citizens' concerns about the City's public schools, which are not adequately preparing students, especially poor and minority students, for the future in our high-tech, globalized economy. The Town Halls, the second of which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday in Brooklyn, are advancing a citywide discussion of such hot-button topics as co-location, high-stakes testing, special-ed reform, early-childhood education, the digital-literacy divide, and the lack of pathways to college.
"For too long, our schools have been treated like businesses and our children like widgets," Comptroller Liu said. "It's time to stop teaching to the test and the closures and co-locations of schools, which are a shell game that is damaging our neighborhoods without helping our children. Come join us as we discuss real solutions to improve our City's public education system."
The meetings are co-sponsored by local elected officials and civic groups. The Brooklyn Town Hall is being co-sponsored by Assembly Members Karim Camara and Annette Robinson, State Senators Velmanette Montgomery and Kevin Parker, and Council Members Letitia James, Darlene Mealy, Al Vann, and Jumaane Williams. Civic groups co-sponsoring include the Parents Union, the New York Civil Liberties Union, Brownstoners of Bedford Stuyvesant, Inc., 500 Men Making a Difference, National Action Network (NAN) Brooklyn Chapter, and Community Board 3. The Brooklyn Town Hall will be held on Wednesday, April 24, from 5:30-7:30 pm, at Antioch Baptist Church, 826-828 Greene Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11221. Other Town Halls are planned soon for The Bronx and Manhattan. A Queens Town Hall took place April 16.
- · Who: City Comptroller John C. Liu
- · What: Education Town Hall
- · Where: Antioch Baptist Church, 826-828 Greene Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11221
- · When: Wednesday, April 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
"For far too long, the best interests of our school children have taken a back seat to other interests in the New York City school system under the current administration. It is time for our communities to once again have a voice in the education of our children," said City Council Member Darlene Mealy of Brooklyn. "Educating our children should not be about dollars and cents. It should be about creating opportunities for all children to receive the best possible education so that they have opportunities in the future. Parents, teachers, and community leaders need to work together to reclaim our schools and get our children back on track."
"Our public education system is a jewel in real need of polishing. I am proud to be a product of these schools, from kindergarten to Master's degree. They formed me into the man I am today, and I am truly concerned that today's students will not have these opportunities because of current failed policies. We must not test our children to death. We must not turn our schools into pipelines for the prison-industrial complex. We must not allow the Panel for Educational Policy to steamroll over the voices of parents. These problems are citywide as well as hyper-local. In the 45th District, I have joined parents, students, and educators in fighting the forced co-locations at Andries Hudde Junior High School and the Tilden Educational Campus. We can achieve positive education reform, but we need positive leadership to get the job done," said Council Member Jumaane D. Williams of Brooklyn.
"Decades after beginning my career as an educator, I remain committed to the fight for community for self-determination and high quality educational options. These are the keys to individual success and community uplift," said Council Member Al Vann of Brooklyn.
"We appreciate and applaud Comptroller Liu's ongoing efforts engaging parents throughout the city with Education Town Halls in every borough. Comptroller Liu consistently listens to our concerns and works with parents as our partner in ensuring every child receives equal access to a quality education. His door is always open to parents, and we look forward to continuing working together to improve educational outcomes for our children," said Mona Davids, President of the New York City Parents Union.
"The NYCLU works hard to address civil-liberties issues in schools — from arrests of students for breaking school rules, to bias-based bullying, and the achievement gap. We are excited to partner with the Comptroller's Office to engage parents and students on the issues that matter most to them, and to share our work with the larger community," said Johanna Miller, Interim Advocacy Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.