Mayor Bill de Blasio Announces Admission Changes to Selective Colleges and High Schools in New York to Fight Segregation

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) – New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced significant admissions changes to his selective middle and high schools to address issues of segregation.

Mayor and Chancellor Richard Carranza said issues of segregation had been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

“I like to say quite frankly that our mission is to redistribute wealth. A lot of people bristle at this phrase, it’s actually the one we need to use. We have been doing this work for seven years to redistribute resources more equitably throughout our school system, ”said Mayor de Blasio. “It means Pre-K for everyone, 3-K for everyone, advanced placement courses in every high school, including those who have never had one, it means changing the funding formulas of schools, there is so many things we’ve tried to do to deeply balance the equation. “

Starting in September, there will be equity and opportunity for New York students. “We will not go back to the status quo,” de Blasio said.

College and high school admission changes include:
– One year break at college on the screens

– Lycée: eliminate geographic priority over the next two years
– Extend diversity planning to 32 districts over the next four years
– Open grant applications to five other districts this year
“It will make things simpler and fairer for our families,” Carranza said.

The pause on screenings makes sense, Carranza said, as the city does not have the state’s test scores or children’s scores based on their education being disrupted by the pandemic.

“It is my responsibility to provide the highest quality education possible for every child, so that they are prepared for successful and productive lives, and equipped with the skills they need to pursue their dreams and make us all. move forward, ”Carranza said. “This year we have faced the unknown together, and looking to the future we know that opening more of our schools to more of our students will make our system stronger and stronger. fair for all. “

Students will rank their choices on their college application as they always have, and for schools with more applications than places available for their sixth grade class, students will be selected through a system based on a lottery.

High schools will be able to remove projections if they wish or use the criteria from previous years and they must publicly publish their sections to ensure transparency. High schools can still “screen” students for admission, but will be permanently barred from prioritizing students who live in their surrounding neighborhoods.

The SHSAT exam will be administered in student colleges to reduce travel and different cohorts of students. Registration for the test begins on December 21, 2020 and ends on January 15, 2021. The administration of the test will begin at the end of January. The gifted and talented admissions have not yet been decided.

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