Friday Links
Students See Hard Future if Free Fares Are Ended [NY Times] Thousands Lose Rent Vouchers in Cutback [NY Times] ‘B’klyn Madoff’ in Court Over $45M Scheme [NY Post] Williamsburg Squatter Ousted by Cops [NY Post] More Scandal at ‘Horndog High’ [NY Daily News] New Building for Red Hook Charter School [Brooklyn Paper] Displaced Tenants Protest…
Students See Hard Future if Free Fares Are Ended [NY Times]
Thousands Lose Rent Vouchers in Cutback [NY Times]
‘B’klyn Madoff’ in Court Over $45M Scheme [NY Post]
Williamsburg Squatter Ousted by Cops [NY Post]
More Scandal at ‘Horndog High’ [NY Daily News]
New Building for Red Hook Charter School [Brooklyn Paper]
Displaced Tenants Protest Lack of Housing [Brooklyn Eagle]
Freddy’s Patrons to Chain Themselves to Bar [Curbed]
Borough Park Fire Injures Young Girl [NY1]
DOT Begins Annual Pothole Filling Campaign [NY1]
Union Market to Open Monday [CHB]
Photo by cosmicautumn
“Cry me a friggin river, will ya.”
Another compassionate conservative.
benson, check out what the public schools really spend on a per-pupil basis. 8k a year, I believe? The mono-ethnic suburbs spend 2-3 times as much.
benson, we’re talking about you in the OT.
I don’t think that there is any middle school within walking distance in the D 15 part of Kensington.
Benson “school choice” is a bit of a misnomer. Even if I lived across the street from MS 51 and put it as a first choice does not mean my kid will be accepted there. Parents only rank schools in order of preference and if your kid doesn’t get into the first or second choices it is unlikely that your kid is getting into 3 or 4 either. AT choices 5-6 you start ranking the lesser evils.
Public transportation is akin to yellow school buses in the suburbs. Oh, and parents are taxpayers too.
Oh give me a break already.
It’s not enough that we have a public transportation system that is heavily subsidized. It’s not enough that we subsidize public schools that cost more than almost any other system in the nation, due to all sorts of special requirements. It’s not enough that we provide school choice. It’s not enough that NYC has one of the most generous set of social services in the country (our per-capita Medicaid costs are TWICE that of Califonia’s). Noooooooooooooooo, we have to be the complete nanny state, and provide kids with free metro-cards.
Like I said, cry me a river.
How about a story about the sacrifices taxpayers have to make to accommodate all of this, for a change?
I like BH76’s idea.
Benson, every kid in this city should have the chance to attend: 1)any public school that they are good enough to gain entry to 2) any school events (including extra-curicular) that they wish to participate in and 3)any school-related functions that may require their attendence at a location outside of school.
The MTA may be correct that it is not their responsibility to shoulder the cost of transportation, but if these were middle-class white kids living upstate, they would get bus service to and from school, including service after school to accomodate extra-curricular activities and special service to sporting and other events. Why is this well-accepted practice all of a sudden a windfall or boondoggle when the recipients include a significant population of poor and minority students?
How is it even possible that you think that kids should be forced to attend low-performing local schools if their parents don’t have the money to purchase a metrocard for them? In your mind is this going to make the education landscape in NYC any better?
Raise real estate taxes for 1-2 familly homes over $1MM to levels comparable to coops and condos and let the proceeds go to metro cards for students. If you moved to the burbs you taxes woudl be paying for kids to go to school on buses.
Pete, we will be having a get-together there sometime soon.
Benson,
People seem to be missing the fact that many districts such as 15 lack zoned middle and high schools. Fifth grade parents are required to rank 8 schools in order of preference and not all of those schools will be within walking distance. If a child isn’t “selected” to attend their top choices the DOE can place a student wherever there is room. That means a child living in Cobble Hill could be placed at a middle school in Sunset Park. There is a similar situation for high school. I know kids who did not get placed in any of their choices for high school and were placed where there is room miles away from their homes. Someone, and not cash strapped parents, need to absorb the transportation costs if this isn’t just a morally bankrupt political canard. My suggestion would be the DOE. Or maybe the DOE admission process needs a complete overhaul.
“Students see hard future if free fares are ended”.
Cry me a friggin river, will ya.
I see that the Times Metro section is fulfilling its prime mission – advocacy – rather than reporting the news.