STATEMENT FROM BRONX BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ RE: Mayor de Blasio’s Proposed Specialized High School Reforms

UsaNewsOnline.Com Desk, New York : “Today’s announcement by Mayor de Blasio regarding proposed reforms to the Specialized High School admissions process is both a welcome step forward for fairness and equity in the public education system, as well as a validation of the diligent work of so many elected officials, educators, activists and parents whose efforts have focused on this issue for years, if not decades.

“One’s socio-economic background, race, neighborhood or borough must no longer determine the quality of a public education. A single test does not decide admissions to Harvard or Yale, nor should the SHSAT solely decide admissions to the specialized public high schools. I look forward to working with Mayor de Blasio as well as other stakeholders to continue to examine opportunities to expand admissions at the specialized public high schools for a more representative student body,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Press Release.

Borough President Diaz has made increased access for underserved communities to the specialized high schools and gifted education a top priority throughout his administration. In May 2012, Borough President Diaz issued “An Action Plan for Fixing the Specialized High School Admissions Process.” That report is available at http://on.nyc.gov/2I8COLb.

In June 2017, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams released a new report, titled “Fixing the Pipeline: Solutions to Disparities in Gifted Education in New York City,” outlining multiple recommendations for the future of gifted and talented education at all levels in New York City’s public schools. That report is available at http://on.nyc.gov/2IbBLKB.

In March, Borough President Diaz called on the Panel for Educational Policy –the body which oversees New York City’s public school system—to use its power to change the admissions policies to the five specialized public high schools whose admissions are not governed by State law. The letter can be read at https://on.nyc.gov/2HgJ7KX.