Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
Senator Addabbo called Mayor de Blasio’s decision “shortsighted and inappropriate.”
By Michael V. Cusenza
State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) on Friday blasted Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter for their decision to phase out the City Department of Education’s Gifted and Talented program in the final months of the de Blasio mayoralty.
Addabbo, a member of the Senate Education Committee, suggested improvements should be made instead to make the program more accessible to all children, including better outreach into all communities.
“Mayor de Blasio’s decision to phase out the Gifted and Talented program instead of making it more inclusive with improved resources, is shortsighted and inappropriate, especially as his term ends in a couple of months,” said Addabbo. “I believe the Gifted and Talented program should be improved to make it more accessible to all children, provide better outreach into all communities and to ensure every student has fair access to preparatory classes and tutors. At this point any decisions should be left up to the next mayoral administration, with extensive input from citywide communities, especially from concerned parents, to determine what is appropriate for the future of our school children.”
Addabbo currently sponsors legislation to expand and improve gifted and talented programs. This legislation would create more Advanced and G&T programs and classes, creating a pathway for top students to develop throughout their time in elementary and intermediate schools. Further, this bill would allow students to be admitted to Advanced classes at the elementary school level via academic merit, rather than an admissions examination giving some gifted children, who may not perform well in a test setting, an avenue for admission to these programs. Passage of this bill will give children in the city of New York a leg up and improve the educational quality of our schools at a time when many are calling for a decrease in standards rather than an increase in resources for our children.
While NYC schools are filled with some of the brightest children in the country, too often the schools they attend do not have the proper programs to challenge them and develop their cognitive skills. Gifted & Talented programs are one way that NYC supports the educational needs of exceptional students. While some schools currently have G&T Programs, not all do, often a disadvantage to the students who need these classes the most. Accelerated learning programs provide children the opportunity to learn at their pace and encourage students to challenge themselves amongst their peers so they can reach their full potential. Mayoral candidate Eric Adams supports building up existing accelerated learning programs and instituting new programs throughout the five boroughs.
Several fellow pols, including U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing), echoed Addabbo’s sentiments.
“Gifted and Talented curriculums have provided students with crucial challenges that help them reach their full potential in the classroom. Phasing out this program is a mistake. Families in my district and across New York City have anxiously waited for when the promised public engagement process would begin,” Meng said. “Reforming the process would be the harder choice, and instead of making any adjustments, the City is taking the easier way out by implementing a mass elimination of the program. G&T seats should be expanded to all communities throughout New York City and the testing process should be improved. All students deserve to benefit from them. They should be an option for every child, regardless of where students reside, and regardless of their family’s socioeconomic status. I urge the City to immediately reconsider its decision.”
