Subway Safety

After public safety, the Mayor of New York City has no higher calling than ensuring that the more than 900,000 students enrolled in the New York City public school system receive a high-quality education. The sheer size of the school system makes mayoral control an imperative to ensure accountability for performance. A commitment to excellence and high standards must go hand-in-hand with adequate resources.

Responsibilities

• Reduce class size by securing state funding to implement the Reduced Class Size law so it is not an unfunded mandate, while ensuring the law does not reduce the capacity of selective schools.
• Guarantee a suitable 3-K slot to all families and expand after-school programs by ensuring sufficient 3-K programs are available aligned with where families live and work.
• Strengthen Community Schools as a hub for social services in high-poverty districts.
• Increase the number of School-Based Health Centers (SBHC) with a goal of having an SBHC in every Community School.
• Address chronic absenteeism (currently at 35%, exceeding 50% in certain areas) through stronger parent engagement and reduce teacher attrition by improving working conditions, safety, and mentoring.
• Strengthen career and technical education (CTE) programs as a pathway to economic mobility by partnering with businesses and developing apprenticeship programs for students who do not pursue college degrees.