NYC-WTC_000230575

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

percentage of all the kids graduating and more and more kids are graduating. We’ve been able to raise the graduation rate, not much, but it’s going in the right direction, went from about 50 to 54 percent and going, I think - as the kids who got extra help during elementary school and now middle school by the ending of social promotion and more accountability, as they get into high school, you should see a very big change. And we’re also doing a lot of things for existing high school students, these small schools, these theme schools, these schools that try to attract kids back in who have dropped out. All of that stuff is going to help. But there’s no question that Regents diplomas are a higher standard than the general diploma and it would be great if we can get the day where every child gets a Regents diploma.

Gambling: I think it’s in the 32% range or something, the last number.

Mayor: It’s a long - we have a long way to go. I would like to tell you that there’s an easy fix. There is not. I think if we stay the course the dramatic gains that we’ve made over the last two or three years should continue and not everybody’s happy with it. I’ll tell you, one of the big things is this extra period as part of our agreement with the Teachers Union. They’ve gotten, in three years, a 33% increase in their salaries but also now they’re teaching and working in the halls and in the lunchrooms for that circular sixth period which was...

Gambling: Which the Chancellor wants to start Feb. 1 but Randi says - she says hold it up until September.

Mayor: John, the pay increase went in right away and the work is going in right away. That was the deal and we’re going to stick with the deal. And what 1 was going to say is 1 think one of the biggest things is this extra period of 37 and a half minutes for...

Gambling: For tutoring.

Mayor: For tutoring or - the agreement is: ten students or less, every school, every class, an extra period, Monday through Thursday, required for the kids who we decide need the extra help to come. It’ll cost us some more in the busing because there’s different schedules. It’ll be disruptive to some parents, it’ll be a - you know, getting it going will be the normal headline stories of, this bus didn’t show up on that day, I mean, none of these things are simple. We’re trying to do something overnight for a million, one hundred thousand kids. But I would - in good conscience, we could not wait till next September to give the kids who need the help the extra help that we can and the extra help that we’re paying for and the extra help that we agreed to and we made a deal, we’re going to stick to the deal.

Gambling: All right, you’ve made at least one change in your administration. Patricia Harris is going to take over for Marc Shaw. Will there be others?

Mayor: I think that when you look back, and I’ll hopefully in the next couple of weeks get everybody settled in, out of the 40 or 50 commissioners, maybe one or two won’t

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