Education

"The primary goal of America’s urban public schools is to educate all our students to the highest academic standard. America’s urban public schools also have two secondary goals: (a) to lead, govern and manage our schools and districts in ways that advance the education of students and inspire the confidence of the public; and (b) to engage parents and build a confident, committed and supportive urban community for raising the achievement of urban public school children."

As City Auditor, I am attending School District meetings on a regular basis. I believe that, as a mayor, my insights into the School District and my strong relationship with the School
Superintendent would allow me to see that each one of our city schools advance the education of students, inspire the confidence of the public, engage parents, and raise the achievement of urban public school children.

Background

Individuals living in Syracuse recognize and appreciate the diversity of educational programs offered within the City. There are strong academic programs located within the Syracuse City School District (the District), and we have outstanding private and parochial schools where many families residing in the City choose to send their children. While there is much good that we can point to within our City schools, the reality is that the District is facing a crisis in academic performance, finances, facilities and in public confidence.

With approximately 22,800 students, the Syracuse City School District and is the fifth largest in New York State and the largest system in Onondaga County. The District has 19 elementary schools, four K-8 schools, five middle schools, four high schools, two vocational centers and four alternative schools. The majority of the facilities are over 70 years old. New York City, Yonkers, Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse are labeled the State’s Big-5 school districts and are considered by the State Education Department to have high student needs relative to district resource capacity. During the 1999-2000 school year, the composition of the student population was: 46.3% white/non-Hispanic; 45.2% Black; 5.7% Hispanic; and 2.7% American Indian, Alaskan, Asian, or Pacific Islander. In addition, 63.4% of the student enrollment qualified for free or reduced price lunch.

Examining the results from the State assessments of fourth and eighth grade students, it is clear that there are many schools in the District that are in desperate need of a comprehensive approach to school improvement. Below are the District’s overall fourth and eighth grade results on the English and Mathematics tests administered in 2000:

Two Syracuse schools, Blodgett Elementary and Shea Middle School, have been designated by the State as Schools Under Registration Review (SURR). These schools are among 114 classified as the State’s lowest performing schools. However, as is clear from the District averages, there are several other elementary and middle schools in the Syracuse City School District that have performance levels seriously below the statewide performance standards.

In addition, in school year 1998-1999, the District had a school dropout rate of 5.7%, compared to the statewide average of 4.1%. This is also unacceptable. Too many students in the District are not receiving training in the skills they require to be productive members of our community and workforce. It must be a priority to reduce the number of dropouts. The District is also dealing with the daunting burden of a very high student mobility rate. Each year, students move from school to school at a rate of about 31.9% of the student enrollment. The high mobility disrupts the students’ learning process and puts an enormous burden on teachers and schools to adequately meet the needs of a mobile population.

As Mayor, I will work with the Syracuse School Board and the Superintendent to implement a comprehensive program to address the large number of students who are not adequately prepared to meet the challenges of the new century.

Fiscal Challenges

The Syracuse City School District faces serious financial challenges. A recent State Education Department study on school district responses to increased State aid found that the District is a low spending, low student performance and low local tax contribution district. The School District’s 2000-2001 general fund budget is approximately $194 million, receiving 71% from the State and 22% from City property taxes and sales taxes, and the remainder from other sources. The $194 million is allocated to the following: 54% instruction; 20% employee benefits, 10% plant maintenance; 8% debt and capital; 5% transportation; 2% administration; and 1% other.

While the District has had relative stability in total student enrollment over the last four years, the District is projecting a decline of approximately 1,000 students over the next four school years, 2000-2001 through 2003-2004 (see chart below). Because State aid is largely driven by student enrollment, a decline in enrollment would further erode the District’s finances. We must work to turn around these enrollment projections and increase student enrollment in the District.

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A lack of financial resources has left the District with:

• Educators without adequate supplies and teachers’ salaries that are not competitive with surrounding districts;
• Students with out-of-date textbooks and overcrowded classrooms;
• Facilities that are not modernized and lack the technological resources that neighboring suburban districts have; and
• Parents and community members who lack confidence in the ability of the District to educate our youth.

On the pages that follow, I have outlined my specific responses regarding the challenges that face the Syracuse City School District and my proposals for improving school performance.

Objectives

Our community is well aware of the financial and academic challenges facing the Syracuse City Schools. It is also clear that a strong educational system is a critical component of a strong community. Many families and businesses make decisions on where to locate based in part on the quality of local schools. Mayors in big and small cities around the country recognize that, if there is to be progress on economic development, housing, crime, employment, and overall youth development, it must begin with our schools. If in Syracuse we are going to stem the flow of residents and businesses moving out, we have to make a real commitment to the schools today.

As Mayor, I will have a strategic and balanced approach for working with the District to improve our schools. Accountability will be the hallmark of my Administration’s approach to education reform. I believe strongly that the State, the City, the District and the entire community must be held accountable for improving the performance of each of our schools.

I pledge that, as Mayor, I will be the voice for education reform and will establish quality education as the highest priority of our City.

Our priorities will be to:

• Get our fiscal and management house in order, which will free up more funds for education;
• Target both City and State resources to meet critical educational needs;
• Make each and every school and student a community priority; and ;
• See to the successful implementation of the neighborhood and community schools initiatives throughout the District.

It will not be easy, and there is no one solution for our struggling schools. Obviously, the Mayor cannot do it alone. It will take a united effort between the City, District administration and educators, and the community at-large to improve our schools. However, the time is past due to take a strong stand and declare that we will not leave any student behind in the City of Syracuse.

Methods for Achievement 

1. The Mayor will be Accountable

"With adequate resources, urban schools can provide the opportunities that most other American children have as a matter of course: programs, services, books, computers, well-trained and well-paid teachers, and equipment. Over the long run, these investments will produce urban student achievement that matches or surpasses that of any groups of districts in America."

As Mayor, I will partner with the Superintendent to set a new tone for our community. Education will be our top priority. To that end, I recognize that the Mayor must provide an appropriate level of local financial support and advocate for adequate State support in order for the District to reach its full potential. In addition, the Mayor has an obligation to demand accountability for the way the District allocates taxpayer dollars.

As Mayor, I will:

• Establish a strong partnership with the District;
• Provide funding for a complete review of the finances and management of the District;
• Consolidate like functions between the City and the District to save money that can be better used elsewhere in the schools;
• Appropriate additional City funding, develop a three -year budget plan and implement a comprehensive capital construction program;
• Require a local funding maintenance of effort;
• Secure additional State aid for improving school performance;
• Advocate for equitable funding of charter schools that will not financially penalize public schools;
• Promote the establishment of neighborhood and community schools; and
• Market the Syracuse City School District so that families will be eager to enroll their students in them.

The full details of these steps, each of which is critical to making our City schools desirable and highly competitive with all other area schools, are outlined below:

Establish a strong partnership between the City and District

The Mayor and the Superintendent need to be true partners in the effort to adequately fund and support the Syracuse City School District. The lack of a working relationship between City government and the District must change in a fundamental way to be effective. I have already demonstrated this commitment to education by being one of the only elected officials to consistently attend school board meetings. I have a clear understanding of the District’s past and present needs and priorities.

As Mayor, I will designate a top aide to be directly responsible for establishing open and ongoing communications between the Mayor’s office and the District. This will be a new position in the Mayor’s office. The primary job of this individual will be to think about and act on ways in which city government and the public schools can work better together. Furthermore, on a regularly scheduled basis, as Mayor I will call together the Superintendent, the Common Council and the Board of Education to discuss fiscal and operational affairs of the schools. The Mayor’s office will work with the District and other regional leaders, not only on the challenges facing our schools, but also as a partner in promoting all of the creative and effective programs that already exist in our District.

Provide funding for a complete review of the finances and management of the District

At the very start of my Administration, I will set aside funding for a comprehensive financial and organizational review of the School District. A review of the Syracuse City Schools will go beyond the annual financial audit performed for the District and will focus on organizational, management and operational challenges faced by the District. The intent of the review is not to discover additional problems with the District, but to make informed decisions about what improvements need to be made and where to target our joint efforts. The review will help the District improve its performance and encourage public confidence in the schools.

The Council of the Great City Schools, as part of its "Cities Building Cities" program, conducted a similar review last year in the Buffalo Public Schools. Twenty top educators and administrators from 15 urban schools throughout the Country conducted the review. The report produced substantive recommendations that will help to improve the management and organization of the Buffalo Schools. The report concluded:

"The Buffalo school system is facing a critical choice. It can take the steps necessary to substantially improve student achievement, play a central role in the city’s economic revitalization, and increase public confidence in its schools. Or it can keep things pretty much as they are…Other urban systems have faced similar choices between progress and stagnation; they include Cleveland, Washington D.C., Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Oakland, and Philadelphia…But none of the cities that took the tougher path has regretted it. In all of these cities, children are learning more than before. Test scores are up. Management has improved."

While in my role as City Auditor, I have already developed a keen understanding of the District’s budget. The review I am proposing will assist my Administration and the District in obtaining a clear picture regarding the actual unmet needs and the methods we can use to partner more effectively and efficiently. The review will also help identify areas where the City and the District can consolidate services.

Consolidate like functions between City and School District

There is a need to consolidate City and District departments that serve similar purposes. Consolidation will result in concrete efficiencies of service, and financial savings. Currently, the City and District each have departments that duplicate each other’s services, including the following:

• Purchasing;
• Facilities and vehicle maintenance;
• Janitorial services; and
• Financial tracking and reporting.

Duplicating services from purchasing to plowing is wasteful, inefficient and cannot continue. By consolidating, I will save the City valuable resources and provide more effective services in both the City and the District. For example, as Mayor, I will consolidate fiscal planning for the District with the City’s fiscal planning. As it stands now, the City has responsibility for the District’s cash, and much time and energy is spent trying to coordinate the City and the District fiscal operations. The duplication could be eliminated without changing the basic responsibility for decision-making. I will also conduct a comprehensive operations review of the District that is certain to identify additional areas for successful collaboration and future efficiencies.

Appropriate additional city resources and develop three-year budget planning

While money is not the only solution for improving student performance, the City must adequately fund the School District. It is not too late to redirect existing City resources to support the education system. By identifying efficiencies in City government (see Metropolitan Cooperation) and by consolidating certain City and School District functions (see previous paragraph), as the next Mayor, I will redirect City resources to the District. In addition, I will make sure that the City has a clear understanding of the extent of the overall short-term and long-term needs of the City School District. To that end, I will work closely with the District to develop three-year budget projections that will assist both the City and the District in long-term planning. 

Additional funding support should be targeted at schools that are failing to meet academic standards; additional accountability measures, including classroom time, absenteeism, parental involvement, mobility and suspension, will be put in place to monitor the efficient and effective use of these revenues.

Schedule education capital improvements

Perhaps most important from a neighborhood perspective is the development of a Capital Improvement Schedule for our schools. The Schedule must be more expeditious and complete than the current 20-year plan. How can the City hope to retain residents while promising to modernize the neighborhood school in five years when, by that time, a resident's child has already graduated from that school? In order to support the changes within the neighborhoods and provide for their future the city needs to improve the schools now.

This is a monumental undertaking, but one which is the basis of revitalizing our neighborhoods and the City. Currently, the City has in its Capital Improvement Program over $45 million dollars in borrowed funds planned to support school modernization and facility repair through FY 2006. But some of these schools cannot wait that long and, with the development of neighborhood schools and community schools, the need for improvement affects the desired outcome of those programs.

As Mayor, I will initiate a program like the "Take the Field" program that brought innovative public/private financing, development, and management techniques to significant capital improvement projects in New York City. I have spoken with Richard Kahan, the Executive Director of Take The Field, as a first step in moving forward with this creative approach. A similar methodology was used in Buffalo in the past few years with the establishment of the Joint Schools Construction Board (JSCB).

In both instances, the City and the School District combined resources to implement 10-year comprehensive redevelopment and modernization plans. In Buffalo, the program cost of construction and reconstruction is nearly $1 billion. And, although only a percentage of those costs qualify for building aid reimbursement from the State, they were able to get the State to enact groundbreaking legislation which authorizes the JSCB to pursue innovative means to finance, construct, lease, and otherwise develop modern school facilities to be used for education. Through this legislation, the City of Buffalo was authorized to use traditional and alternative financing methods including general obligation bonds of the City, local industrial development agency bonds, true lease arrangements, Qualified Zone Academy Bonds, energy performance contracts, and other innovative techniques for financing capital projects. Some of the schools even qualified for historic rehabilitation tax credits.

It is this dynamic sort of partnering and planning which the Syracuse City School District and the City of Syracuse need to develop in order to accomplish the task of making our city schools once again the hallmark of our neighborhoods, the envy of other communities. Most importantly, we need to have our City schools be structures of respect and vitality so that our students and our neighborhoods find that they want their neighborhood school to be the best.

Implement a maintenance of effort requirement

A maintenance of effort requirement would mean that the City would be obligated to appropriate to the District funding that is at least, but no less as much as it provided the District the previous budget year. Although the State Legislature is currently considering mandating a maintenance of effort requirement for the Big 5 City School Districts, as Mayor, I will support a self-imposed maintenance of effort requirement on City funding for the District. The current trend of supplanting local dollars with increased State aid will not continue in my Administration. I believe that it is critical that the City assist the District in stabilizing the District’s fiscal outlook. This can be done through the three-year budget planning process that I will develop with the District.

Secure additional state aid for low achieving schools

The Syracuse City School District has committed to meeting the State’s higher education standards for all students. To meet this challenge, however, requires increased State support. The State is an obvious and critical funding partner for the District.

I strongly support efforts by the Board of Regents, the Governor and the State Legislature to develop a new funding mechanism that will direct education funding to high-need school districts, such as Syracuse. In January, the State Supreme Court ruled in the School Finance Equity Case that the State had failed its obligation under the State Constitution to provide a "sound, basic education" to the children of New York City. According to Justice LeLand Degrasse, the remedy will have to include a major increase in financing for City schools. The Governor and the State Legislature are currently debating proposals for directing a greater concentration of State funding to high-poverty districts. For example, both the Senate and the Assembly’s 2001-2002 Budget proposals would channel 70 percent of the increased school aid to high-need districts. The students of the Syracuse City School District will be the direct beneficiaries of a statewide approach to improving performance at high-need schools.

I am also committed to partnering with the District to maximize State aid. In situations where the District must spend money in order to be reimbursed, I will make sure that the City makes that money available to the District. It is inexcusable not to access all of the State aid made available to the District for worthwhile and necessary initiatives like purchasing school textbooks. Maximizing existing State aid will be a priority in my Administration. 

In fact, I have already successfully obtained additional State school aid. At a January school district budget committee meeting, it became apparent to me that the District and the City were not maximizing the amount of State aid available for the purchase of textbooks, library supplies and software. Yet our students are in dire need of such materials. Due to my efforts, the City and the District have a unique opportunity to secure an additional $1.6 million, for a total of $2.8 million in State funding for the purchase of textbooks, library supplies and software.

As Mayor, I will create a Textbook Revolving Reserve Fund that will enable the District to maximize textbook reimbursable aid each year.

Advocate for equitable funding of charter schools

I believe that, if the City and the District are successful in turning the District into a high performance school system, charter schools will not pose a substantial risk to the District. Currently, however, parents and students are leaving our existing schools to attend the Math and Science Charter School, and that is hurting the District. I do not believe that charter schools are the solution for our struggling schools. Charter schools are contrary to the development of a neighborhood school strategy (see below). In addition, I oppose how charter schools are funded in New York State. At this time, charter schools are drawing as much as $2.9 million from the City School District budget. The District cannot afford to subsidize the Math and Science Charter School or future charter schools. 

The State’s existing funding of charter schools undermines the ability of the Syracuse City School District to meet the needs of its students. These resources would be much better spent on supporting neighborhood schools. I strongly support State legislative action to develop a more equitable funding mechanism that would hold local districts harmless, or that at the least reduces the financial burden placed on urban districts with the creation of charter schools.

Promote the establishment of neighborhood and community schools

Two of the most exciting and important initiatives taking place in our community are the efforts to develop community schools and neighborhood schools. A community school is a place where, in addition to traditional education, opportunities for learners of all ages are provided and many human services needs are addressed. The neighborhood schools initiative is the District’s effort to redefine school attendance boundaries and promote students attending the school closest to where they live. These two efforts will be the cornerstone of my Administration’s efforts to improve the City’s education system and retain families in City neighborhoods. The goal of these initiatives is to create true neighborhood-based schools in which students, parents and other area residents can access the school building and related health and human services before and after traditional school hours and year-round.

The District’s Neighborhood School Task Force, with which I have been an active participant, is currently exploring the opportunity to redefine school attendance boundaries to reinforce neighborhood schools. The intent is to bring an end to busing to the highest extent possible and to strongly encourage families to support their neighborhood schools. This initiative is critical to redeveloping neighborhoods and community. I will work to promote the recommendations of the Task Force in order to strengthen the ties between the neighborhood and the school, the parents and the teachers, and parents with other parents. 

As Mayor, I will also directly support the community schools effort by linking neighborhood residents to government services at these sites. This initiative is truly in line with my goal of making City government accessible and accountable at the neighborhood level. The City will cooperate with the County to locate supportive social services in the Community Centers. I have already participated in meetings with the County and the District to discuss how to best collaborate to bring our services together. There is no doubt this will improve service delivery dramatically and improve the effectiveness of the services.

Community schools will build upon the District’s 21st Century Community Schools Initiative by bringing together community resources and services, tailored to the needs of that neighborhood. We should pilot the Community Schools Initiative in one or two schools and work toward expanding to meet the needs of each neighborhood in the City. An outstanding example of community schools exists within our State:

"Since 1992, the Children’s Aid Society, the New York City Board of Education and the School District have opened four community schools in Manhattan’s Washington Heights community (2 elementary schools and 2 middle schools) serving nearly 7,000 children and their families. These schools are open all day, all week, year-round and offer a range of on-site services, including health, dental and optometry services, mental health counseling, extended-day academic, arts and sports programs, parenting support programs, summer programming and adult education. Other partners involved in the community schools include local universities, hospitals, businesses and other community organizations."

Source: Building a Community School

Community schools will help reduce the current financial strains placed on the School District by leveraging resources from other groups and agencies. As Mayor, I will partner with the District to leverage the government and private funding necessary to implement community schools. One critical point is that, while this will take place in our schools, schools will no longer be the entity solely responsible for the development of our youth and for reaching out to families in our community. Some of the burdens that currently fall to the schools will be more appropriately directed to government and non-profit agencies that have the resources to address the problems confronted by the schools.

I believe neighborhood schools and community schools will be the critical link to our success in raising academic standards, in reducing dropout rates and the high mobility rates, in getting students and parents the skills they need to succeed and in fostering healthy communities. Much of what I want to accomplish as Mayor, including neighborhood revitalization, economic development, reducing crime and promoting healthy youth will be bolstered by the implementation of community and neighborhood schools. Making these initiatives a success will require leadership from the next Mayor, and I am committed to working directly with the Superintendent and the community to make these initiatives successful.

Market the Syracuse City School District

While it is necessary to focus on the schools that are not meeting acceptable performance levels, I also must return to my initial point that there is much that is good about education in the City of Syracuse. We must be aggressive in getting out the message that there are schools, teachers and students that have and continue to perform exceptionally. We must market those successes and work to make sure that everyone involved with marketing the City and region (real estate agents, employment relocators, companies, or economic development agencies) are aware of the District’s strengths. If we cannot present our successes clearly, we cannot expect others to do it for us. We must compete with other Districts for students, and we must sell our product. Young families need to be aware of the strengths of the District and must be made aware of the District’s progress as we focus on improving every school. As Mayor, I will make marketing our schools a priority.

2. Supporting the District and Educators

"All Mayors, regardless of the level of control over the school system they possess…should play a leading role in the community calling for greater accountability and results."

The movement to hold schools, districts and educators responsible for student performance is well underway in New York State and across the Nation. However, I believe we can do more locally to demand that every child is receiving a quality education and that tax dollars are not being wasted. We must ensure that educators have the necessary support from the District, the community and parents.

While the Superintendent and the School Board will continue to be directly responsible for setting the academic and curricular priorities within the District, the Mayor and the community must become more intimately involved with the performance of our schools.

As Mayor, I will support the District’s efforts to develop comprehensive school improvement for achieving real results. I will work with the District in the following areas:

• Improving student performance;
• Reducing the dropout rate;
• Ensuring safe and healthy schools;
• Enhancing professional development for educators and administrators; and
• Reducing teacher-to-pupil ratios and promoting early childhood education.

Improving School Performance

Raising overall academic standards must continue to be the priority for the District. As Mayor, I will advocate for programs and policies that will enhance the District’s ability to meet State standards. I strongly support the District’s efforts to strengthen curriculum content, focusing on the basics: reading, writing and math. It is clear from the English and Math fourth and eighth grade tests that a concentrated effort to improve student performance is required.

Resources must be appropriately allocated toward these initiatives so every student has the opportunity to succeed and so that no child is left behind. In addition, every school must be required to have school improvement plans that are available to parents and the public and that outline specific and measurable ways the school will improve results. The process of developing school improvement plans must include parents, teachers and the outside community. Dr. James Comer, founder of the Comer School of Development, noted "a comprehensive school planning process will mobilize teachers, administrators, parents and other concerned adults to support students’ personal, social and academic growth." The development of community schools should facilitate parental and community involvement in supporting educators in their effort to meet every student’s needs.

Furthermore, as mandated by State Education Law and the State Education Department’s Part 100 Regulations, the District must provide appropriate Academic Intervention Services (AIS) to students who have not met State academic standards on one or more of the State’s exams. In addition, parents must be informed of the progress being made to bring the student up to acceptable performance levels.

The short-term goal is to improve performance at Blodgett and Shea in order to remove them from the list of State School Under Registration Review (SURR) schools and to prevent any additional schools from being placed on the SURR list. The longer-term goal is to see a yearly increase in performance at each school and with every student as we work to meet State standards.

Reducing the dropout rate

The Superintendent and the Board of Education have agreed that reducing the dropout rate is a priority of the District. Currently, the official dropout rate is 5.7%. However, that figure is misleading. Every year, about 2,000 of the City’s youth enter ninth grade in the school district. Yet, the size of the 12th grade class is consistently less than one-half that figure. These unofficial dropouts have an extremely difficult future ahead of them. Today, more than ever, there are limited opportunities in Syracuse for individuals lacking a high school education. Too many teenagers are dropping out of school and leading less-than-productive lives. We will need to work extra hard to reverse the rising dropout rate as the State’s high stake Regents graduation requirements are phased in.

The City must partner with the District to provide necessary support to individuals who may be falling through the cracks of the existing system. In addition, parents must be brought together to develop solutions and become partners with the District. I support the District’s approach to recapturing students who have left school before graduating and targeting at-risk students. I am committed to working with the Superintendent and the Board to set aside money for programs aimed at reducing the District’s dropout rate that have demonstrated success. In addition, I believe that the creation of a new vocational and technical high school will assist in retaining non-traditional students in school. Onondaga Community College (OCC) currently has programs for students who have not completed high school and has been very successful in retaining these students in their programs. The District should partner with OCC to develop a comparable program for the high schools that will successfully retain students who are at risk of dropping out.

To reduce the dropout rate, we need to reduce reliance on social promotion and enhance support for early intervention, Pre-K programs and early Head Start. We must do a better job tracking students throughout K-12, and we must convey the message that we have high expectations and that dropping out is not an option.

Ensure safe schools

Students and educators deserve safe, high-quality environments that promote true learning. However, in light of school tragedies around the Nation, many students and educators do not feel safe within our schools. During the 2000 Legislative Session, the Legislature approved comprehensive school violence legislation entitled Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act. This legislation requires districts to have a building-level and district-wide school safety plan that includes provisions for crisis intervention, emergency response and management and annual safety training for staff and students. To create the school safety plan and to review it on an annual basis, a school safety team must be put in place that includes parents, teachers, administrators, school safety personnel, local law enforcement officers and other community members.

It is critical that the District and schools get these plans in place and that the appropriate staff training is provided. I am aware that they are currently developing these plans. As Mayor, I will work with the Superintendent and City department heads to ensure schools have the complete cooperation from the City in developing and implementing emergency response plans. Furthermore, it is not enough to simply have safe facilities; we must redouble our efforts to address the unmet physical and emotional needs of students to ensure that tragedies do not occur in our schools or our neighborhoods (See Youth Development).

Increasing professional development programs for educators and administrators

Professional development is critical to the success of school reform. More can be done to ensure that each student has a teacher who has been provided the necessary tools and training to assist students in reaching higher academic standards. We will need to see a dramatic increase in the financial commitment to professional development in order to make an impact on student performance. Furthermore, administrators must have the training and skills necessary to lead their schools. Research indicates that quality administrators and teachers have a strong correlation with school success. 

As Mayor, I will work with the District to identify funding that can be directed at quality professional development opportunities for every educator and administrator.

Improving Teacher-to-Pupil Ratios and Promoting Early-Childhood Education

Research suggests that efforts to reduce class size in the early grades and to provide early-childhood education reap the largest benefits for poor and minority students. Existing resources must be deployed sensibly to support early-childhood education and a reduction in class sizes. Higher-quality experiences can also be achieved by a reduction of the number of students a teacher has in his or her classroom. Head Start and Pre-K programs have been very successful in improving student performance. However, after a few years in regular classrooms, the progress made by the young students who participated in Head Start begin to disappear. The philosophy and programmatic structure of these early intervention programs should be utilized in all K-12 classrooms. We must continue to target in an effective manner the State and Federal money that has been made available to the District for reducing class sizes and for early education programs.

3. Increasing Parental and Community Involvement in Our Schools

"Education is the responsibility not only of schools and governments, but of everyone in the community. Successful reform can only be possible with the support of parents and the entire community."

Community involvement will only succeed if the community believes they have a stake in the schools. As Mayor, I will work with the District to promote parent and citizen involvement in the schools, and I will be a strong supporter of efforts to develop community and neighborhood-based schools. Furthermore, I will call on the private and non-profit sector to join with us in establishing schools that are a community priority. In particular, I will use the Mayor’s office as a bully pulpit to further the "caring community" concept and programs like Syracuse Reads and Success By Six.

Parents and community members can be directly involved with changing the course of our city schools by:

• Being actively involved with the Community Schools Initiative;
• Volunteering to mentor and tutor our students; and
• Establishing private-public partnerships.

Being actively involved with Community and Neighborhood Schools Initiative

Previously, I discussed the development of community and neighborhood schools in our community. I mentioned that this is a critical component of improving our schools and bringing the community and neighborhoods together. However, community and neighborhood schools cannot and will not be successful without the participation of parents and community members. The community school must work to involve parents at all levels and as early as possible as partners in planning the community school, as volunteers or staff, and as partners in their children’s education. Entire communities will benefit from the services offered at our schools. As Dr. James Comer, founder of the Comer School of Development, told our community in March of this year:

"The problems of school violence and underachievement are the result of a fractured sense of community, and only a rekindling of that community within schools can overcome them."

As Mayor, I will do my part to encourage parents and local businesses to become more actively involved in the planning process for community and neighborhood schools. I will partner with the District to leverage the necessary government and private funding that will enable us to implement community schools.

Volunteering to mentor and tutor our students

Our schools need more individuals to get directly involved with helping our students reach a higher level of performance and to know that the community cares about them. Many parents and concerned community members would like a way to become more personally involved with the education system. I believe we can do more to tap into the available pool of volunteers and mentors, and I will work with the District to pursue this effort. The goal is to have every student who needs assistance in meeting higher academic services to be linked with a tutor and/or mentor. As Mayor, I will set the example by volunteering my services to a school.

Establishing private-public partnerships

Scarce resources require the City to partner with other public and private entities to achieve common goals. The private sector is a largely untapped resource on which our public education system can draw to support systemic change. As Mayor, I will work with the private sector to encourage enhanced involvement in public education, and I will challenge them to participate in even more significant and enduring ways. I definitely believe that more local businesses should find a way to become involved, either financially or through volunteer or in-kind services, in the effort to improve our schools.

Expected Results

In a March 25th Post Standard article, "Poor Neighborhoods; Poor Test Scores," we were once again reminded that there is an inverse relationship between a school’s poverty level and student performance on State exams. What this article does not stress is that we know that there are many outstanding examples of schools and students that have successfully overcome the barriers of poverty. Schools and students around the country and right in our own District are succeeding despite the odds against them. 

"Philadelphia, Fort Worth, Houston, Sacramento, Chicago, Louisville and other cities have made major gains in test scores over the last several years despite the extraordinary levels of poverty found in some of these communities. Many cities are also narrowing their historic achievement gaps between disadvantaged and more advantaged students and among students of different racial and ethnic groups. This has occurred because these districts have focused like a laser beam on the single goal of improved student achievement."

If these large, urban city school districts can make major gains, it is more than possible for Syracuse to make real improvements in student performance. Syracuse needs to focus on the performance at each and every one of our schools. We do not have a choice. We cannot allow our understanding of the impact of poverty to be a crutch. We must work together to overcome that obstacle and make sure that every child has a quality education. Too much depends on our City having a quality education system. All of the other issues I will address throughout this campaign are affected.

I believe the roadmap that I have outlined for comprehensive school reform will lead our District and City on the path to real change. In the end, we will need to measure our success. Specifically, we will know we have been successful at reforming our education system if within the next four years:

• There is an increase in State and local funding support for the District and a stabilized long-term financial outlook;
• There is better management of resources leading to classrooms where every student has up-to-date textbooks, class sizes are below state averages and teachers receive quality professional development;
• We no longer have any schools on the SURR list and school performance at every school has risen to acceptable State levels;
• School dropout rates have been reduced below the statewide average of 4%;
• Charter schools do not pose a financial threat to the District;
• School facilities are receiving regular and on-going maintenance in line with the District’s 20-year plan;
• Every educator and student feels safe in each of our schools; and;
• The community has joined together to create neighborhood schools that provide neighborhood-focused programs and services.

We will also be able to measure our success by factors that are indirectly related to our education system:

• When families stop identifying schools as the reason for leaving the City, and young families choose to buy homes in the City;
• When businesses stop listing ill-prepared students from our high schools as the reason there is a shortage of qualified workers;
• When neighborhoods have become stabilized and do not continue to feel the pressure of flight to the suburbs;
• When property values begin to rise, and when the tax base is expanded; and
• When parents and community members no longer view our schools as remote and unapproachable, but rather see them as centers of the community.

We must address some of the challenges faced by our schools and the challenges faced by our neighborhoods. In my response to the 20/20 Question on Neighborhoods, I discuss my proposals for stabilizing and revitalizing neighborhoods. My efforts as Mayor to improve neighborhoods will benefit the City School District. I believe my proposals for improving neighborhoods will enhance the Community Schools Initiative, reduce the dropout and high mobility rates, and lead to more community support for the schools.

When will all this happen? Obviously some of the things I propose to do will take time, perhaps they will not be completed within four years. The important goal is to get our District on the right path, to have a detailed roadmap, and to focus on what needs to be accomplished. We need to come at the problem from a different mindset if we are to be successful. All of the partners who are impacted by our City schools will need to work together. It will take a concerted effort from parents, teachers, principals, politicians, community groups, public agencies, businesses and religious leaders. As Mayor, I will work hard every day of my Administration to see to it that a strong education system is the number one community priority.