“Good” news: Chronic absenteeism in the city’s mainstream public schools is down from the staggering 40 percent reported by the Post’s Susan Edelman in April. Bad news: it’s stopped more than 30%. Chancellor David Banks must do better.
More bad news: The flight from the system continues, with tens of thousands more families finding alternatives or leaving the city altogether. Data from the city’s Department of Education shows total K-12 enrollment has declined by 121,000 since 2019, and only the influx of nearly 10,000 illegal migrant children has prevented the decline from being even greater.
However, total DOE spending remains very high from when enrollment was 20% higher, while the city’s student scores on state proficiency tests have continued their post-pandemic decline.
Banks says it will reverse both absenteeism and declining enrollment by making the city’s schools more attractive to students and their families. Yet he has allowed some district superintendents to cut gifted and talented popular programs, and let others kill the best schools by cutting entrance exams.
Also, lifting the vaccination mandate for children who participate in sports and other extracurricular activities is a drop in the bucket.
We understand that the chancellor feels he has to tread carefully, as the city council jumps up every time the teachers union says “frog,” while the state council lowers the standards for performance left and right.
But if Banks doesn’t start fighting for his high standards and pro-parent agenda — and by hiring more school and district leaders who will do the same — the forces of mediocrity will win out. It’s time to show results.
