RECENT EVENTS |
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A discussion of the abyssmal high school graduation rate and new initiatives of the NYC Department of Education aimed at helping over-age and undercredited students achieve.
June 2001 EMERGENCY CAMPAIGN AGAINST VOUCHERS MILWAUKEE: THE OTHER STORY The impact of taxpayer-funded vouchers on Milwaukee’s public school system was discussed by three members of the Milwaukee Board of School Directors, PETER BLEWETT, CHARLENE HARDIN, and JENNIFER MORALES. They were joined by New York City Board of Education Members DR. SANDRA LERNER, GREG BROOKS, Dr. IRVING HAMER, and TERRI THOMSON who recently participated in Mayor Giuliani’s trip to Milwaukee to promote the use of taxpayer-funded school vouchers in New York City. Attendee's were engaged panelists in a discussion about this "experiment" that has captured national press attention and is at the heart of an ideological debate about the future of education in America. Co-sponsored by the New York Chapter of the American Jewish Committee, Emergency Campaign Against Vouchers, Educational Priorities Panel, People for the American Way Foundation, and Citizens' Committee for Children April 2001 REGIONAL COST ADJUSTMENT FORUM In light of the increased interest in utilizing a REGIONAL COST ADJUSTMENT to New York State’s formula to aid local school districts, the Educational Priorities Panel held a forum on this topic on Tuesday, April 3, 2001. Proposals by the Regents, Governor Pataki, State Comptroller McCall, and the Midstate School Finance Consortium have brought the issue of expanding the use of a cost index into serious consideration. EPP invited State Legislators and interested individuals to hear panelists provide a rationale for their cost index methodology and describe how it would be used in the distribution of state aid to schools. Respondents were then asked to draw out the strengths and weaknesses of the various proposals, as well as what parts of the school aid formula should have a cost index. The following speakers explained their proposals:
March 2001 NYC MAYORAL FORUM ON EDUCATION FUNDING Co-hosted by EPP and the Teachers Network: Impact II Candidates Herman Badillo, Fernando Ferrer, Mark Green, Alan G. Hevesi, and Peter Vallone were asked: "What is your strategy for securing resources to help bring NYC students’ achievement up to state standards?" Moderated by Robert Krulwich , ABC News Correspondent Over 400 people attended the forum which took place during the Teachers Network: Impact II’s major conference on March 24. Candidates responded to questions about the impending educational crisis the next mayor will inherit. The forum was covered in Newsday, the Daily News, and El Diario. October
2000 Because the NYS Supreme Court decision in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit was expected in the fall of 2000, EPP held a briefing that detailed the full-scale proposals for reforming education finance. EPP urged New York City budget and education policy makers to attend and consider which proposal would provide the most help to NYC public school students struggling to attain higher learning and testing standards. Panelists included:
February
2000 Complex state school aid formulas are often bewildering, even to the most experienced policy makers. EPP’s report, Checkerboard Schooling, identifies the specific mechanisms that perpetuate funding inadequacies. EPP’s briefing on the report clearly demonstrated to legislators how districts are harmed by transition aid, specifically high-needs districts. EPP’s February Checkerboard Schooling Albany briefing drew over 60 participants, the majority of which were legislators and their staff members. Attendees were not be bombarded with jargon or rhetoric, but will be given a quick lesson in the "logic" of the system and why it is highly dysfunctional, especially for school districts in the downstate area. The event was co-sponsored by Long Island’s REFIT, the NYCLU, & over 30 legislators. VIEW: Checkerboard Schooling: How State Aid Affects High Minority School Districts in New York State. |
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