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Wednesday, September 4, 2024

NYC Mayor Eric Adams Opens 24 New School Buildings

Nina Kubota

Wow - 24 new schools. Who knew?

Betsy Combier

Editor, Inside 3020-a Teacher Trials


From: NYC Mayor's Press Office <NYCMayorsPressOffice@updates.cityhall.nyc.gov>


Date: Wed, Sep 4, 2024 at 11:54 AM
Subject: TRANSCRIPT: MAYOR ADAMS OPENS 24 NEW SCHOOL BUILDINGS AHEAD OF 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 4, 2024, 10:00 AM
CONTACT: pressoffice@cityhall.nyc.gov, (212) 788-2958

TRANSCRIPT: MAYOR ADAMS OPENS 24 NEW SCHOOL BUILDINGS AHEAD OF 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR

Nina Kubota, President and CEO, School Construction Authority: Good morning. Thank you for joining us today. My name is Nina Kubota, and I'm president and CEO of the New York City School Construction Authority.

For those of you who are not familiar with the SCA, our mission is to design and construct safe, attractive, and environmentally sound public schools for children throughout New York City. We are also responsible for modernizing and keeping our schools in a state of good repair. And today, we're delivering. In fact, since our inception, we have provided over 333,000 new school seats to New York City students. Through our previous capital plans, we've also protected, renovated, and upgraded over 1,400 school buildings with more than 12,500 capital improvement projects.

Just over three years ago, we stood on this very spot. I remember it was an incredibly hot day on an empty lot to break ground on a much-needed school here in the South Bronx. And today, take a look at the beautiful leaders of Excellence Advocacy and Discovery School. Today, I stand before you with immense gratitude for our mayor, whose unwavering commitment to our schoolchildren is the reason we stand behind this beautiful new school and celebrate the opening of 24 new school buildings this year.

This achievement is not just a testament to leadership, but a promise kept by Mayor Adams to our students, parents, and educators. Mayor Adams, your vision and dedication have brought us closer to our goal of providing every child with the safe environment they deserve, modern and inspiring spaces that will foster learning, creativity, and growth. Your support has not only built physical structures, but has laid the foundation for brighter futures for generations to come. You've listened to our communities, understood our needs, and taken decisive action. These new buildings are more than bricks and mortar. They are symbols of hope, opportunity, and progress. They stand as a reminder that when leaders truly care, transformative change is possible.

On behalf of our students, parents, teachers, and everyone who believes in the power of education, thank you, Mayor Adams. Thank you for your tireless efforts and your commitment to building a better tomorrow. Let's continue to work together to ensure every child in our city has access to the quality education they deserve. Without further ado, Mayor Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much, and just really nothing of this magnitude can be done alone. So I really wanna thank the chancellor and our partners in government that's here, the borough president of the Bronx, Councilman Salamanca, Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar on the state and city level. This is how we make things happen and get things done.

We are excited about the day before school opening. I don't know if the children match that excitement, but let's hope they do. But when they come into beautiful spaces like this, it is a way of creating an environment that's conducive to learning. And so Nina, you and the entire team, particularly over at SCA, for really putting a shovel in the ground and producing a product of this level of quality that shows that we could have an environment that our children can enjoy and can play and could be educated and really just invoke their creativity.

New York City and our administration, we're committed to giving our children a first-class education. And that means also the facilities will be a first-class facility. And it's a crucial part of a great education is having access to these great facilities. When we have our students here, they meet new partnership, friendships, and relationships, and they start out to move towards the future we want them to participate and be a part of.

The state-of-the-art technology and healthy and green construction is the cornerstone of creating this environment. We want them to have science labs, music rooms, special education classrooms, gyms, auditoriums, and libraries that are modern and state-of-the-art. We want them to have play spaces and spacious lunch rooms, as well as space for the staff. The staff needs to renovate, their facilities must be renovated, and they need to renew their energy as well because they are parting the knowledge onto our young people.

So today, along with public schools, Chancellor Banks and School Construction Authority, President Kubota, did I get that right? I am proud to announce that we are opening 24 new school buildings with these great facilities for the upcoming school year. These 24 new buildings will add 11,000 new student seats, the most K-12 seats we have added in a single year since 2003. This builds on nearly 23,000 seats already added during our administration, and this means that we can close all but 24 of those outdated trailer classrooms from our schools. That is our mission to close them all, and we are closer and closer to getting there.

This will also help us continue to promote healthier school environments and advocate for better health and nutrition, and broaden opportunities for physical education. Our schools will be and should be places that children feel excited to go and to enjoy and to learn. This should be, they should be spaces where they feel safe and comfortable. But of course, the quality of this teaching is most important part of the school experience. So thank you to the incredible teachers and staff. We look forward to another school year. This is opening day, like the baseball. When you have opening day, the excitement is there, you can feel it in the air, and we want to show our children that they care.

I'm really excited about one of the schools the chancellor shared with me, our Motion Picture Technical High School opening this year. This is an amazing opportunity to feed the pipeline of those who are in the industry and to diversify the industries. So like many other of our schools, we prepare our young people for dynamic, creative, and rewarding careers. Exciting day for us all. 24 new schools open to welcome our students. Great job. Thanks so much, SCA team.

Kubota: Today, we're here at this state-of-the-art facility that brings 547 seats to District 7. It's fully accessible, air-conditioned, four-story school building for pre-K through eighth grades. The building will also house a D75 special education component consisting of eight classrooms, two speech rooms, occupational and physical therapy rooms, as well as other support spaces.

Our goal has been to create and maintain safe, nurturing, inspiring learning environments. This new school is more than just a building. It's vibrant, dynamic space where young minds can explore, create, and grow. It also underscores the SCA's dedication to providing equitable access to quality education for all New York City children, highlighting the importance of investing in educational infrastructure as a foundation for student success. I'm thrilled to have elected officials who have been strong proponents of adding capacity to where it's needed the most.

These 547 seats are part of the more than 11,000 seats we're adding this year throughout the city. As the mayor said, the most K through 12 seats we've added in one year since 2003, all of which has been created with funding from our 2020 to 2024 capital plan, which has invested over $6 billion in capacity in the five boroughs. And thanks to Mayor Adams, the City Council, and our other elected officials, our newly adopted 2025 to 2029 capital plan provides funding for another 33,417 seats.

I would be remiss if I did not mention that the SCA has made huge advancements in removal of the transportable classroom units, as the mayor mentioned. Work has been ongoing to remove these outdated facilities from our school grounds, and only 24 TCUs at six sites remain as of today citywide. In fact, we removed eight TCUs from this very location before we started construction on this school. While these investments provide new opportunities for development and growth, we will continue to invest in our school's infrastructure, thereby providing the framework for enhanced educational services and better facilities for New York City's school children.

Obviously, we would not be able to do this without the strong support and collaborative partnership with Chancellor David Banks. I wanna commend Chancellor Banks for his outstanding leadership and dedication to our students. Since stepping into his role, Chancellor Banks has been a tireless advocate for the needs of our children, always pushing forward with the vision of a more equitable and effective school system. Under his guidance, we have seen a renewed focus on student success, a commitment to closing the opportunity gap, and an unwavering belief that every student deserves the chance to thrive. Chancellor Banks, thank you for your hard work, your innovative thinking, and making a real difference in the lives of countless young people. And we are grateful for all that you do, Chancellor Banks.

Chancellor David Banks, New York City Public Schools: I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you, Nina. Thank you so much. And thank you to the mayor for his vision and all of his support in making this happen. And I really have to thank Nina and her entire team at the SCA for not only what we're experiencing here today in the Bronx, but new capital projects are being experienced all across the city as we speak. So this is just an embodiment of new life that's being continued to be poured back into our school system. There's nothing like going to a brand new facility as you go back to school. Say amen, somebody.

Crowd: Amen!

Chancellor Banks: I mean, it's a, it's just a beautiful experience, right? I mean, it's one thing to go to school. And this is always a great time of the year because we're all so excited as we mark the beginning of a new school year. I always get excited. Seems like the weather starts to change right as we get ready to start school. So I know our teachers, our principals are excited. And I think our kids are excited. I know our parents are excited. They can't wait to get these kids out of the house and back to school.

But it's always marks a brand new beginning. And we're all thrilled. And we're surrounded by community here. First of all, Principal Palish, who has the District 75 program in the school, thank you so much for your leadership and for what you're gonna do in this amazing space. And the work of our kids with special needs is so critically important to me and to our mayor. And we've done a lot of work to try to make sure that all of our kids, particularly our kids with special needs, get the support that they need. So we're counting on you to do some amazing things here. We've met before and your work that you're providing across the borough. But thank you so much for that.

And Dr. Sorden, where are you? Amazing, wonderful principal. She's the principal of the larger school. And Dr. Sorden is a force of nature. She really is. Mr. Mayor, I don't know if you remember this, but the very first school that we visited in the first couple of days in office, remember we were, it was our first visit. It was the first day. Yes, we went to Concourse Village. I remember because it was ridiculously cold. And I told Principal Sorden, I said, it was so cold, but I didn't have a hat on because the mayor didn't have his hat on. And I remember when I got back home and my mother called me and said, boy, you put your hat on when you're out there at all that cold. But thank you, Principal Sorden, for your work. I'm so excited for you to have this brand new place. And I know you're gonna do amazing, amazing things here. Blessings to you.

To all of our electors. I know we have a number of them who are getting ready to speak, but it's important to know it's not just the mayor. It's not just myself. It's not just Nina and her team at SCA. It is the community. It is the village. It is the leaders. They are the ones who bring to our attention and let us know where the support is needed, where we need to make sure that we are focusing our resources and our efforts to make it happen. So this doesn't happen in a vacuum. It happens because we work so closely together to ensure that all of our kids get what they need. So I'm just looking forward to the beginning of a brand new year.

When I was a principal for 11 years, I opened two new schools and I know what it means to walk into a brand new building. And I know the aha moments that those kids are gonna have when they walk in for the first time and be overwhelmed by the newness of this building. It smells like it's new, doesn't it? And this beautiful yard out here, it says to the kids and it says to the parents and it says to the broader community that we care and that you are important to us and we wanna make sure that we're delivering for you.

So let's make sure all of the teachers who are here take care of this building, make sure that the kids you actually are producing, young people who are leaders, who wanna change this city and their future chancellors, their future mayors, their future borough presidents and elected officials and lots of other things that are supposed to emerge when they know that we care deeply about them. So thank you so much. Let's have a great school year.

Kubota: Our next speaker doesn't need an introduction here in the Bronx. From her time as an assembly member, city councilmember and now borough president, Vanessa Gibson has always been a leader on the education front. Notably, she was a staunch advocate for including new schools as part of the Jerome Avenue Rezoning. And as a result, we are opening two other schools tomorrow. Aurelia Green Education Campus and an elementary school on Morris Avenue. Bronx Borough President, Vanessa Gibson.

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson: Good morning, everyone. Welcome, welcome, bienvenidos a todos. It's so good to see everyone on this beautiful Wednesday morning. You could be anywhere, but you are here with us in the great borough of the Bronx.

What an honor to be here as we begin to welcome our scholars and educators and families back for this new school season. We are excited, we are energized, and we are ready to work together. I am so proud to be here today as your Bronx Borough President because I recognize that this day represents a culmination of our deep commitment, our consistency, and our dedication, and our labor, and our love for our children.

The greatest equalizer that we can ever invest in is public education. It is the gateway and the pathway to a better tomorrow for our scholars and their families. And we as an administration are adamant about investing in our children and families, setting them up for success and not failure, raising the standards so high that failure is never an option, allowing all of our scholars to dream big and realize the world outside of their community.

Today is a great day. I want to acknowledge the leadership that has been assembled to make sure that this school is a reality. I want to say thank you to our mayor, Eric Adams, our school's chancellor, David Banks, our president and CEO of the School Construction Authority, Nina Kubota. Thank you for all the work that SCA has done. Just last week, we visited the Bronx Debate Academy, MS644, that will be housed at the very own Aurelia Green Campus. And I am so proud that this school, leaders of excellence, advocacy, and discovery, along with D75, are a part of eight brand new schools that we are opening right here in Bronx County. We are excited about this moment.

Thank you to our deputy mayor, Meera Joshi, to all of my colleagues in government who are here, our assemblymember, Jenifer Rajkumar, our local councilmember, and a leader right here in the South Bronx, Councilmember Rafael Salamanca Jr. and Aiden is here, and really all of our educators. I want to recognize our incredible superintendents that oversee our schools, our community school District 7 superintendent who is here with us, Dr. Roberto Padilla, who's here, thank you so much, overseeing all of District 7, and our superintendent of District 75, Dr. Ketler Louissaint. Thank you.

And I want to recognize the amazing principals that are going to lead these two schools. Did you notice that they happen to be women? Qualified public servants who are women. Thank you so much for taking this charge of leading both these two schools and really making sure that our children and scholars have access to everything that they rightfully deserve. As we invest in public education, we are investing in our scholars. And as we invest in our scholars, we are investing in our families. And when we invest in our families, guess what? We are investing in the future. This is going to be a space of creativity, of innovative approaches to learning, of collaboration, of recreation, a safe space of imagination.

And we know that we cannot do this work alone. That is why we have partners like DYCD, like New York City Public Schools, like so many of our incredible messengers and CBOs that work with us every school year. I am proud of this moment. For so long, the Bronx has often been left behind, but I am here to tell all of you, don't get it twisted. The Bronx is leading when it comes to graduation rates, when it comes to afterschool programs, when it comes to sports and learning and academic excellence. We are raising the bar higher and higher every school year. And this project takes us even further in our collective commitment to invest in public education.

So on behalf of our great borough, I want to say thank you again to our mayor, our school's chancellor, SCA, the Department of Youth and Community Development, all of our educators, administrators, our social workers, guidance counselors, school safety, school crossing guards, all of the village that it takes to educate our children. We are one no matter what. I wish everyone a successful and productive school year. Let's continue to work and build and reaffirm our commitment to our children. Because guess what? You cannot be what you cannot see. And if our young people can see all of us, guess what? They can see their dreams, their hopes and all of their aspirations. So congratulations and an official welcome and best wishes for a successful school year. Gracias a todos.

Kubota: So our next speaker has been a champion for affordable housing here in the Bronx, but he also knows when there's more housing, there's a need for more schools. And that's why he's here. Our city councilmember, Rafael Salamanca.

City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca, Jr: All right, buenos dias. Good morning, everyone. I am, first I wanna thank you, Mr. Mayor, and I wanna welcome you and the chancellor and the deputy mayor to the South Bronx. But most importantly, I wanna welcome District 7 and District 75 to the South Bronx. Please, a big round of applause to you guys.

You know, as I stand here and I look around and I know that we have our principals and our teachers and our social workers and support staff behind us, I ask you to look around and look at the investment that we are making here in the borough of the Bronx, the investment that we're making here in the South Bronx. That building there to the right, we call that La Central. In 2016, in the City Council, we approved that project, 1,000 units of 100 percent affordable housing. With that also came, a charter school was built there, but we also got one of the first YMCA's here in the South Bronx.

In 2021, we stood right here in this very lot doing the groundbreaking. And, you know, as we mentioned, we are building, we are doing our fair share in terms of building affordable housing in the borough of the Bronx, especially in District 17 in the South Bronx. But it's only as important that the administration are putting an investment in the South Bronx. And this is exactly what this ribbon cutting is all about, ensuring that we are investing in communities of color. And I can assure you, both principals, that I have been a champion in my public schools as well.

In the eight years that I've been in the Council, I've been able to invest over $30 million of capital dollars in schools. Now, I know you don't need any capital dollars with this new building that you have here, but just know that you have a partner here in Councilmember Salamanca to ensure that all your needs are met. And I welcome you to the South Bronx. I'm gonna say something in Spanish.

Me llamo Rafael Salamanca Jr. Es un placer para estar aquí con el alcalde y el [canciller], la [vice alcaldesa] y los dos principales que tenemos aquí. Es importante que [sepamos] que esto es [una inversión] lo que estamos haciendo aquí en el sur de Bronx. Sí estamos construyendo viviendas asequibles en el condado de Bronx, en el sur de Bronx, pero es importante que el alcalde y la administración también se enfoquen en construir más [edificios] como este: escuelas para nuestra juventud. En los ocho años que yo he estado en el [Concejo Municipal], no solamente hemos construido más de 10,000 viviendas asequibles, sino que también hemos invertido, mi oficina ha invertido, más de 30 millones de dólares a nuestras escuelas. Sabemos que esta escuela no va a necesitar [inversiones de capital] ya porque es una escuela nueva, pero quiero que los dos principales sepan que ellos tienen un [socio] aquí en este concejal y les quiero dar la bienvenida a los principales y a los maestros aquí. Gracias muchas y que Dios los bendiga.

Translation: My name is Rafael Salamanca Jr. It's a pleasure to be here with the mayor and the chancellor, deputy mayor, and the two principals that we have here. It's important that we know that this is an investment that we are making here in the South Bronx. Yes, we are building affordable housing in the County of the Bronx, in the South Bronx, but it's important that the mayor and the administration also focus on building more buildings like this, like these schools, for our youth. In the eight years that I've been in the municipal council, not only have we built more than 10,000 affordable homes, but we have also invested, my office has invested more than $30 million in our schools. We know that this school won't need capital investments because it's a new school, but I want the two principals to know that they have a partner here in this council, and I want to welcome the principals and the teachers here. Thank you very much, and God bless you.

Kubota: So, Alexa Sorden and Merrin Palish are the two principals that will call this building home. I know firsthand they are truly dedicated to the well-being of children and communities they serve, and we are so pleased to turn this beautiful building over to them and wonderful staff here. So, Principal Sorden?

Dr. Alexa Sorden: How's everybody doing out there? We're doing good? So, I want to begin by thanking Nina, Josh, Tariq, Maria from SCA, Tony, James. I said Josh? Josh always answers my text messages. So, it takes a village, right? And I had the blessing of being the first principal, the opening principal. I get to open two schools, too, just like you.

So, in 2013, I was afforded the opportunity to open Concourse Village Elementary School, located at 750 Concourse Village West, and we had a great run in that building. I love that building. I love that community. We are the 2018 Blue Ribbon School for Exemplary Performance. We are the 2020 Best Urban School in the Nation. We were the best elementary school in New York State. And starting my 13th year as a principal and being able to have this blessing of a brand-new facility, I'm speechless. I sometimes just stare at the corridor, and, like, it's pretty. It's beautiful. I really love it here. Thank you.

And what I'm most excited about is actually the schoolyard. Obviously, I love the inside of the building, but I'm like, the idea of just listening to the kids run and play and have fun is what brings me the most joy and central air in the cafeteria. Listen.. A beautiful kitchen and round tables because we're really big on family here and what it feels like. And I wanted to let you know that the name was intentionally selected.

So we are leaders. I am a leader. I am from Washington Heights, so I rep the Heights. I am a New York City school product, all District 6. I went to District 6 elementary school, middle school, and high school. And that path took me to Columbia University. That path took me to getting a doctorate at St. John's. So I love New York City public schools. My children are also in New York City public schools, and I believe in us. I believe in who we are. So when I had an opportunity to dream again and say, I can have my kids with me till middle school, listen, it was going to be LEAD because we are leaders of excellence, advocacy, and discovery. That means we cover all grounds.

You're going to know about LEAD. LEAD 359 is going to make new history, and we're going to be amazing. And you're going to get me into K through 12. Is that what we hear? All right. We're going to build another building right beside this one, and we're going to get a high school. But I love what I do. It brings me joy every single day. I'm happy. I'm excited. I have my beautiful educators right beside me, right there with CV, well, Concourse Village. Where you at? LEAD. We're LEAD 359 now. And our tag, we have a new tag, and it's Seize Your Future because we are in control of our future.

Thank you. I love all of you, and I'm ecstatic to open up this school for my beautiful scholars. Thank you. Oh, wait. I forgot to tell you something else. So we know we have a New York City Reads initiative. Guess what our ELA proficiency rate was for this past school year? A hundred. Well, New York City Solves. What was our math proficiency? 98 percent proficient.

Kubota: So next we'll hear from Principal Palish, and she not only is principal at this school, but also another school that we've opened on Webster Avenue. So Principal Palish.

Principal Merrin Palish: Thank you. Distinguished guests, esteemed colleagues, parents, and friends, today is a momentous occasion for our school community, and I am both honored and thrilled to welcome you to the ribbon-cutting ceremony of LEAD 359 and District 75's newest organization, 643X. This marks not just the opening of a new school building, but also a significant milestone in our journey towards fostering an environment where every student has a bright start for a bold future.

This project has been a labor of love and dedication made possible by the collective efforts of many. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Mayor Adams, Chancellor Banks, Superintendent of District 7, Padilla, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Councilman Salamanca, and other elected officials who are here today to help celebrate this milestone. I am also honored and proud to welcome and share in this celebration with District 75 Superintendent Louissaint. Thank you for calling on me to lead this school as the brand-new principal.

643X and LEAD represent more than just brick and mortar. It symbolizes the beginning of a new chapter in our commitment to creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for every member of our school community. It embodies our commitment to excellence in education and our dedication to creating dynamic learning environment for all of our students. It is a space where our students will not only gain knowledge, but will find inspiration, creativity, and tools to shape their futures.

As we cut the ribbon today, let us celebrate everyone who helped complete this project, but also the bright future that lies ahead. This new school will serve as a testament to our shared community values and stand as a beacon of opportunity and growth for generations to come. Many thanks to the SCA, to Josh, James, Tony, and everybody, my co-principal, Alexa Sorden, for making this journey over the summer to where we're here today to welcome our students tomorrow. Many thanks to the newly hired founding team members of 643X from District 75. Thank you so much.

Kubota: I'd also like to invite up Assemblymember Rajkumar to say a few words.

State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar: Thank you. I want to say, first of all, I'm so excited for the first day of school, as always. And I was so honored to meet the educators here in the South Bronx this morning. Today, hundreds of kids are coming to my district office to receive free backpacks and school supplies. And I'm just so excited for this time of year.

This building before me is absolutely stunning. It's breathtaking for anyone who can't see it right now. And this is so important to me because education is really the only reason that I am here today. That's the only way that a girl who was born to a woman in a mud hut gets to stand here as a state assemblywoman. As a lawmaker, I fight in Albany every single day to secure the funding that makes days like today possible.

Every year, the state contributes a whopping $14 billion to fund New York City Public Schools. This investment is a cornerstone of our partnership with the city and it enables us to build state-of-the-art schools like the one that we are celebrating today to make sure that no child is left behind. And every day I'm fighting in Albany for New York City because ensuring our city gets the resources it needs is a full-time job. And I'm all in.

We had an epic fight to make Diwali a school holiday. And this year, for the first time in all five boroughs, schools will close so that everyone can celebrate Diwali school holiday. And I want to thank once again Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks for everything that they did to make that possible. And this year, so many parents from South Queens to the South Bronx to Harlem in every neighborhood said, please shut down these illegal cannabis shops that are popping up right across the street from schools all over our city.

So I sat down and wrote the Smoke Out Act, which passed this year in our state budget. And this gave the mayor the power to close down all the illegal smoke shops in this city. Already over a thousand have been shut down. And he personally burned four tons of illegal cannabis himself, which I thought was pretty awesome.

The 24 new school buildings we are unveiling is the largest expansion of school construction in two decades. And I'd like to point out that Mayor Adams is not just setting records with school construction. He's setting records across so many areas. Under his leadership, test scores for our city school children have risen. And in the first two fiscal years of his tenure, unemployment was cut by 20 percent. Murders, shootings and overall crime have gone down. Wages have increased for over half a million workers. Medical debt for hundreds of thousands of residents of New York City have been wiped away. So I just want to thank this entire administration for the records that have been set for the people of this city. And I am excited to partner so that we continue to break these records.

Building these new schools is so exciting. And day and night, I think about how we can build faster and better in our city. And that's why I'm working in Albany to pass a bill to speed up construction in our city, simply by allowing access to an adjoining lot when you are building on a property. And we are going to get it passed in this upcoming session. It's going to help us with everything from building more new schools to getting rid of unsightly scaffolding on our streets.

Second, everyone knows about my futuristic legislation, exploring 3D printing as a way to build faster. And I'm looking forward to the day that we can use 3D printing to build a new school building. And third, I am always waiting through the simple technicalities of government to speed up construction. So this year, I passed a landmark bill that will speed up our procurement process by putting bidding fully online, modernizing procurement, moving it into this century so we can build faster and more efficiently.

It's getting in the weeds and altering rules in a common-sense manner that can speed up procurement, speed up our court systems, and make our government work better. It can shut down our illegal cannabis stores more quickly. It can make our schools rise and come up from the ground. So with that, I want to thank everyone who has made this moment possible for the children of our city. And I want to wish everyone an amazing school year.

Kubota: Great. Thank you. So let me conclude by thanking our other dignitaries and community leaders on hand, as well as the principals again, Superintendent Padilla, Ketler, our local CEC and community board, and members of the Panel for Educational Policy.

I would also like to give a special thank you to my team, starting with our design team, led by [Terry Perret.] Can you wave? Thank you. For architecture and engineering. This school was designed by our in-house team of architects and engineers, some of whom are here today, headed by Senior Director Maria Gomez. Saw you somewhere. Thank you. Most people don't know this about the SCA, but our talented staff, who make up our in-house design studio, design 40 percent of our projects. And this is just one of many examples of extraordinary work they are producing for New York City's school children.

And many thanks to our construction team, led by Vice President Gordon Tung. There he is. Thank you. And for our contractor, Forte Construction, who all work together to deliver this beautiful school. So I think from here, we'll take on-topic questions. Go ahead.

Question: I have an education question. I know when you became mayor, you talked about screening all students for dyslexia as of last start of school year. Those numbers were down. Do you have an update for us and the schools, the students, about the numbers you've done for dyslexia?

Chancellor Banks: Yeah. Was it the specific number of students?

Question: The progress you've made from last year. I know last year, the DOE was really behind on screening all students for dyslexia.

Chancellor Banks: Yeah, yeah. And we have made progress. Well, but I don't have the numbers off the top of my head, so we can certainly get that to you.

Question: Is it better than last year's? Because I know there was a disappointment for parents because of the mayor's promise to screen all students. He was not making sure …

Chancellor Banks: Yeah. But we'll get the numbers to you, and I'll be able to let you know exactly where it stood versus where we were last year.

Mayor Adams: And the most important thing is that, mere fact, this administration understands that, without identifying dyslexia and learning disabilities early, it is a pathway to the wrong pathway. You know, we often talk about the numbers of those who are incarcerated have learning disabilities.

And so whatever roads we have to iron out to get to the numbers we want, like we did with childcare and others, we're going to do that. But we cannot ignore the fact that it took 110 mayors before they realized that this first dyslexia mayor realized that we need to do something about it. 109 mayors didn't. We are going to do something about it.

Question: What percentage of classrooms will meet the Albany class size mandate this year? And I know much of the construction so far has been to replace the trailers, but how much more construction will be needed to help meet those goals?

Chancellor Banks: Yeah, so the new class size law gives the city five years for full-on implementation. [NOW ONLY FOUR MORE YEARS] And each year, we're expected to be increased by 20 percent. So last year, we had 20 percent. We met that threshold for our very first year. We are now into the second year. We're expected to have 40 percent. And all of our indications are that we are on target to meet the 40 percent threshold for this year. And then each year, it's 20 percent more. So by year three, which is the following year, we'll be up to 60 percent.

But we've long said, since this law was enacted, first two years, we didn't feel we're going to be a real struggle for us. And certainly, the new additions that we're getting, they help us with respect to meeting the class size law. But by the time we hit next year and beyond, there are going to be some more difficult choices that are going to have to be made. But we're in constant conversation with our union partners, as well as our partners in the state. But I think, for the first two years, we're in year two now. We're meeting the standard where we're supposed to be. But there are tougher challenges that are coming. We're spending a lot of our time now working on the following year, but we're good for this year.[WHAT ARE THEY WORKING ON FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR AND YEARS 4-5?]

Question: Is construction the challenge? Is it about construction today, or is it more?

Chancellor Banks: It's a lot of challenges. The class size law, at its full on implementation, will require us to hire an additional 10,000 to 12,000 more teachers, first of all. So even if you didn't build anything else, you will need 10,000 to 12,000 more teachers, where there is a national teacher shortage. So the question becomes, do you lower your standards to get more teachers? Or how much more innovative can you get to bring on 10,000 to 12,000 more teachers? It's not an easy choice. [SO WHY ARENT THEY STARTING BY HIRING ONE FOURTH OF THOSE TEACHERS NOW? INSTEAD THE CITY’S FINANCIAL PLAN SHOWS DECLINING FIGURES]

And there are other choices that have to be made. We can meet the class size law if we were to cap enrollment at some of the most high profile schools in the city. Should we be doing that? All things are on the table. Ultimately, the decisions are the mayor's to make. That's why we're saying we're dealing with all these. So there's a wide range of things that have to be done. And we do that in partnership with our union partners and our partners in the state. But suffice it to say, we're in good shape for this year. And we've got a lot of work to do for the successive years.

Question: Chancellor Banks, given that this is a new building, a new facility, what new, let's say, technology is here and what new programs will be introduced because of that?

Chancellor Banks: Yeah, probably better to have the principals come. And they can talk more specifically about some of the programs that they're going to do here. Nina, I don't know if you want to talk specifically about what's in this building explicitly for this particular facility. I don't know if you have any of the specs in front of you.

Kubota: Yeah, I definitely will defer to the principals about programming. But we have science, reading, and speech resource rooms, an art music, an art classroom, a music classroom, library, gymnatorium, beautiful outdoor space, medical guidance and administrative suites as well, staff lunch and conference. There's so much. There's so much technology. Smart boards in every classroom, computers in every classroom. It's a really state-of-the-art facility. And I'll defer to the principals to talk about it. Oh, yeah, that would be lovely.

[Crosstalk.]

Question: Just a real open-ended question with the start of school tomorrow, I mean, in addition to the new schools, what can parents expect? Is there a message for them? Is there anything new or different this year, whether with curriculum or anything else?

Chancellor Banks: Yeah, no, I think that what they should expect is that they're going to have the full-on support of the best educators in the country are right here in New York City Public Schools. They're going to have the full-on support of the best principals that you can find anywhere. And that they've got a mayor who is delivering on creating new spaces for our kids.

And listen, every school is not getting a brand new building. But what they're going to get are buildings that are clean. And wherever we see that there are issues, we are right on it to make sure that we address it. I've been in some of these buildings that are over 100 years old. And they are phenomenal in terms of the culture, the history behind some of those schools. So we have some small schools. We've got large schools. We've got schools that are sharing space. It runs the whole gamut. You think about the fact we have 78,000 teachers in our school system. This is an amazing place.

I always say that the whole world lives here. We speak over 180 different languages. We've brought in over 40,000 migrant students into our schools. And you've barely heard a blip. Because if you want to see New York City schools at their best, see them as they bring in all these new students. We wrap arms around them. Politically, it's a challenge, right? But when kids show up at our doorsteps, our job as educators is to love them and to educate them. Isn't that right? And so that's what we do. And I think when you talk to parents all over the city, they are excited. Kids are excited.

The beginning of a new school year, it always just marks through like a rebirth. And so many of us, including myself, who are products of the New York City Public School system, we're excited to get back to school and to get back into the routines. And it's not just school. What it is, you get a chance to see your friends again. You get a chance to be around those teachers who you missed over the summer, who love you. And you look forward to new ventures, new opportunities. It's a new year. And the kids are getting older each year. And so it's always exciting to be a part of the newness that a brand new school year actually represents.

And just to know that New York City schools are very focused. And our primary focus has really been around literacy. And this year, we'll mark the rollout of phase two of NYC Reads. So last year, a little less than half of our districts rolled this out. And now to phase two. The rest of these schools, of our elementary schools, will all now, every teacher in the city in elementary schools has been trained in the best ways of educating our kids and teaching our kids to read. So that is our primary, that has been our primary focus. But we do lots of things. We got NYC Solves, new approaches to how we're teaching math. We gotta make sure that we're keeping our kids safe. And we're continuing to do a great job with that.

And the big question has always been about phones. And the mayor has said, we're gonna study it this year. We have close to 400 schools right now that already have a cell phone restriction plan in place, including yours, Dr. Sorden, right here. Right, so if you wanna talk to her about it, but the impact has been, you got a principal right here that you can speak to. But we're gonna be encouraging more of our schools to do that. We already have close to another additional 500 schools that are already planning to do it again. So we're gonna be well over half of our schools, even without a mandate, that are already doing it and planning to do it. And we're gonna study that.

We're gonna see the impacts. We're gonna see the impacts on safety in their schools. We're gonna see the impact on bullying in their schools. If all of those things were to drop, and overall student engagement, we're gonna be looking at all of those things as we study it. So yeah, I would say that parents should be excited about the beginning of the year. They're gonna be in good hands and great schools. Thank you.

Question: Can you comment on the, how they're enforcing these phone restrictions as far as students go? Like how, is it a cubby system? Is it, yeah, how is it working?

Dr. Sorden: So we were an elementary school, and now we're going into a middle school. So it was just, you turn off your phone, you put it in your backpack. So that was as simple as we were doing it, but there were never any phones out. And then we had a student committee request a Tech Tuesday, and then we signed a contract, and then they had a set number of minutes during recess when they can access their phone, and the sites that they could access.

But now my children are transitioning into middle school, so we are going to continue that same policy of all phones out of sight at all times, and then our parents receive the cell phone policy in terms of if we see it once, twice, or three times, what are the steps that we take in that event? But we've never had any issues at all. And our staff also does not, never carry cell phones as well. So we are no cell phone school as our staff. So we model for our children what we want to see them model for us, what we want to see. Yes, so I mean, most of them probably left, but they'll tell you they never have their cell phones on them.

[Crosstalk.] We respect instructional time here.

Question: [Inaudible.]

Dr. Sorden: So I believe that our panorama survey said we have like 98 percent sense of belonging. Our students are more connected to us. There's more conversation. They're more present. All of our classes we transition with BIG, which means breathe in deeply, initiate your intentions, and get ready to have a great day.

So we engage in mindfulness for two minutes and 47 seconds within every transition, so it probably happens like five times per day. Our teachers participate in it as well. And even when the teachers are on their preps, they also do not have their phones with them at all because they want to be present for their colleague. They want to be present for lesson planning. So because we model that standard for children, we've never had any issues at all.

Chancellor Banks: Wow, let me just say something. I know they're getting ready to wrap up here. But I just want you to hear a very powerful example. And this is exactly what the mayor's been talking about. So it's not simply about the phones that we're taking away. It's about a comprehensive approach to wellness and the fact that they have the kids engaged in mindfulness multiple times a day. That makes a difference around how the kids will focus and steer clear of distractions. And so a restriction around phones is a huge deal.

I'm so impressed to hear that the staff doesn't have the phones either. But that's a standard that has been established at this school. Other schools do it in different ways. That is what the mayor meant when he said, we're going to use this year to study it. And we're going to see what they're doing here, what Dr. Sorden is doing. And we're going to look at other schools. Some schools are high schools. It may be difficult to tell all the teachers that they can't have their phone, right? So multiple approaches, we'll study them all. And then we'll be able to have a better position to give even more guidance to the system. This is a huge system. There's not a one size that fits all. And we're going to take a look at multiple approaches to this challenge. Thank you, everybody.
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