Yonkers Partners In Education

IN THE NEWS

Journal News

January 16, 2008

Yonkers education summit features talk by Bloomberg

Ernie Garcia

YONKERS - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg urged Yonkers residents to be bold in their efforts to reshape public education during a fundraising visit yesterday.

Bloomberg spoke at the Yonkers Public Library's Riverfront branch as part of an education summit organized by the Yonkers Partners in Education, a private nonprofit that raises money to enhance public education in Yonkers. A breakfast fundraiser before Bloomberg's speech collected an estimated $35,000 to $40,000, according to Wendy Nadel, the nonprofit's executive director.

Hundreds turned out to hear Bloomberg, who was introduced by Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone. Bloomberg discussed his efforts to transform education in New York City by ending social promotion, instituting performance pay for teachers and increasing communication with parents.

"We've gained more ground than any other city school district in the entire state," said Bloomberg, noting that his city still has a long way to go because of its 50 percent graduation rate.

Among other education successes, Bloomberg noted, was a decrease in the number of teachers who quit the New York City schools, falling from 12,000 a year to about 5,000 last year. He added that last year more than 60,000 people applied to become teachers in New York City, which he said was a vote of confidence in the district's rising fortunes.

"You are taking up the most important challenge in our society. If there was ever a time to be bold, I think this is it," Bloomberg said. "I don't think you should be afraid to tackle the tough issues."

After Bloomberg's talk, Yonkers School Superintendent Bernard Pierorazio spelled out the district's tough issues, including a 72 percent poverty rate among the district's roughly 24,000 students. Pierorazio said that 31 percent of his students are undernourished, which compromises their readiness to learn.

Despite these challenges, Pierorazio also mentioned the district's successes. He noted the opening of a new high school this year and the planned opening of another in September.

A restructuring of the pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade elementary schools improved student performance from 10 to 19 percent, he said. Pierorazio said he will build on the district's momentum with a March 8 "parent university" at Commerce Middle School that will train parents to become more active partners in their children's education.

After the speeches, the education summit broke up into small groups of 15 people to discuss what resources could help improve education in the district.

Parent Raissa Fitzgerald is president of the Parent Teacher Association at Montessori School 27, and she discussed the difficulty of getting more parents involved in the school.

"It's so nice to see how many people in Yonkers do care and come out," she said after the event.

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Reach Ernie Garcia at elgarcia@lohud.com or 914-696-8290.