Mayor and School Unions Open Year With Optimism; 'Safer and Less Crowded'

As the new school year began Sept. 2, Mayor Bloomberg was joined by Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and Council of School Supervisors and Administrators President Ernest Logan at P.S. 62 in The Bronx to welcome the city's students, Teachers and administrators.

MAYOR BLOOMBERG: High Principal, Teacher quality.

The Mayor was overwhelmingly positive on the state of the system, saying, "Our schools are safer. Our classrooms are less crowded ... our Teachers and Principals are better qualified and better paid than ever before." He credited this to "accountability [that] has been established at every level of our school system ... [that] has all translated into better results for our students."

'A Haven for Kids'

Ms. Weingarten was more specific in her praise, showering P.S. 62 with acclaim for its strong results. She said in a statement that the Hunts Point school was "located in one of the most depressed areas of The Bronx, where asthma rates are among the highest in the city" but that it was "a haven for kids," commending the collaboration between the school's administrators and Teachers.

"Recently when staff used funds provided by the City Council to purchase furniture for the faculty conference room, the Principal pitched in and had the room painted," she recalled. "This is the kind of working relationship we should strive for at all city public schools, and I want to commend Principal Lourdes Estrella and UFT chapter leader Robert Fernandez for their efforts."

Mr. Klein said that students had made "dramatic progress" in the last school year, and that the Department of Education wanted to continue "attracting and retaining the best Teachers, giving Principals the decision-making power to meet students' needs, and giving schools and families the information they need to make decisions that help students learn."

'Give All Kids Quality Educations'

Mr. Logan added to the collaborative mood by stating that he was "confident that [working] collectively, school leaders, Teachers, parents and the Department of Education ... can provide every child in the New York City public school system with a quality education."

Later, in a second statement, Ms. Weingarten called the opening day "one of the smoothest I can remember," saying that "our officers and staff were in hundreds of schools today, and while there were sporadic problems, the system — and our leaders — solved most of them. The level of cooperation the last few days has been truly impressive, and I hope it continues."