Former Bronx BP Ferrer Named to MTA Board
                             

      Governor Cuomo nominated former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board Monday. Though the State Senate must confirm the nomination, Ferrer is set to succeed Doreen Frasca, whose term ended last June. Ferrer was the Bronx Borough President from 1987-2001. He also ran for mayor in 2001 and 2005. In addition, he was a member of the New York City Council from 1982 thru 1987.

Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. had this to say,

“I am thrilled that my predecessor, Fernando Ferrer, has been nominated by Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve as a member of the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. We could not ask for a better choice. I consider Freddy to be both a close mentor and a dear friend, and I know that he will serve not only the Bronx but the entire city well in this endeavor.

“Governor Cuomo has made an excellent choice in Fernando Ferrer, who will undoubtedly be a strong advocate for the millions who use our public transportation system on a daily basis, just as he has been throughout his career in public service. I look forward to celebrating his confirmation to the board of the MTA in the very near future,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Senator Gustave Rivera said,

“I would like to congratulate former Bronx Borough President Freddy Ferrer on his nomination to become a member of the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and applaud Governor Cuomo for his selection of such a well-suited and accomplished public servant to take on this task. I am thrilled that Governor Cuomo has made this selection and will be working to make sure that each and every legislator is aware of Freddy’s lifetime of public service that make him an excellent choice to serve on the board of the MTA.

As Bronx Borough President and as a member of the New York City Council, Freddy represented working families in the Bronx who not only use, but depend on, public transportation to get to and from work everyday. I had the honor of working for Freddy in 2005 on his Mayoral race and have been fortunate to have his friendship and guidance throughout my career. I am excited for Freddy, but I am especially excited for the state of New York, that we will have Freddy Ferrer advocating for the millions of us, who as New Yorkers, utilize the services of the MTA.”

Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr and the Business Initiative Corporation of New York Hosted the 13th Annual Bronx Bankers Breakfast “Financing our Future”

On Friday, May 13, Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and the Business Initiative Corporation of New York (BIC) hosted the 13th Annual Bronx Bankers Breakfast. This year’s theme, “Financing Our Future” responded directly to the credit environment faced by many entrepreneurs trying to obtain capital to expand or start their own businesses.  As a result of new legislation passed by Congress, BIC is now able to lend more and for the first time refinance debt.

“Our businesses are recovering in day to day operations, but are not yet growing and expanding and that is the challenge we all face in this economy.  Through BIC and BOEDC my office is trying to help in this process and until the end of April, overall SBA lending in The Bronx increased by 80% to $37.8 million over last year’s $21 million,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

The Annual Bronx Bankers Breakfast is the largest networking event of its kind in The Bronx, where 400 bankers, entrepreneurs, and elected officials get together to talk about the business future of the borough.

 From left, Madeline Marquez, BIC Director; Carlina Ferrer, Capital One Bank; Jeffrey Dygert, TD Bank; Ed Odom and Raul Hiraldo, Citibank; and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. 

Bronx Borough President diaz KICKS OFF THE 1^ST BRONX WEEK FILM FESTIVAL

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will be cutting the ribbon to kick off the 1st Ever Bronx Week Film Festival at the Bruckner Bar and Grill.

Olympia Film Locations Inc., in cooperation with Bronx film makers and the Bronx Overall Development Corporation organized the film festival as part of an aggressive policy initiated by the Bronx Borough President to stimulate economic growth in the Bronx by developing and attracting television and cinema related opportunities to our borough. 

The Film Festival runs through Thursday, May 19th. It concludes with an industry only “Red Carpet” gala night at the Bronx Museum of the Arts from 7pm to 10pm. For a quick review of the film schedule please go to info@olympiafilmlocations.com.

  

Monday, May 16  --- 6:00 pm  

Bruckner Bar & Grill, located at 1 Bruckner Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10451.

BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ JR. CELEBRATES THE 9th ANNUAL DiVA SPA

Free haircuts, manicures, facials, massages and more will be available for women and men

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will celebrate Bronx Week 2011 by transforming the Veterans’ Memorial Hall of the Bronx County Supreme Courthouse into a fully operational salon offering free manicures, facials, makeovers and massages during the 9^th Annual DiVA Spa, an event that serves as a platform to distribute information regarding domestic violence awareness, prevention and services available.

During this award-winning annual project residents will learn what domestic violence is, how to identify a potentially abusive or violent relationship, what a healthy and respectful relationship is, where to get more information in the Bronx about domestic violence, how to support a friend or family member who is being abused, and where to go for help. They will meet with experts and learn about opportunities to volunteer and intern in the field of domestic violence.

MONDAY, MAY 16 --- 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

BRONX COURT BUILDING- 851 GRAND CONCOURSE - ROTUNDA 

For more information on Bronx week events, visit www.ilovethebronx.com.

LIU: HIGH SCHOOL PROGRESS REPORTS DON’T MEASURE PROGRESS

Audit Finds that Department of Education’s Revisions to its High School Grading System Leave Educators, Students Chasing a Moving Target

New York City Comptroller John C. Liu announced that an audit of the Department of Education’s (DOE) High School Progress reports raised questions about the usefulness of the reports in comparing the yearly progress of schools.

“It’s troubling that a system that is used to decide school closings leaves teachers and students confused about what they need to do to improve,” Comptroller Liu said.  “The Department of Education should not leave parents, educators or students in the dark when it’s deciding their fates.”

High School Progress Reports are a DOE accountability tool that assigns schools an annual grade of A through F.  The Report grades play a significant role in the DOE’s decisions to reward high performing schools, perhaps with added funds, and restructure or close low-performing schools.

According to the audit, the DOE has revised the complex formula behind the grades every year.  The frequent changes the agency has made to its grading and other formulas — without determining the impact of those changes — makes it difficult, if not impossible, to get a true picture of a school’s progress by comparing its grade from one year to the next.  As a result, the High School Progress Reports paint an unreliable and confusing picture of a school’s progress or failure over time.  Auditors recorded complaints from schools that the DOE’s lack of consistency made it difficult to set goals for students.

The audit focused on 10 high schools representing the five boroughs. It included three schools (Jamaica, Metropolitan Corporate Academy, and Norman Thomas high schools) that the DOE selected in January 2010 for closing.

CHIEF AMONG THE FINDINGS: 

1. Inaccurate Picture of Year-to-Year Progress

The DOE’s changes to the formula behind the Progress Report grades make it difficult for parents and educators to measure a school’s performance from one year to the next.

The DOE says the Progress Report grades are meant as “a one-year snapshot” comparing one school against another in a given year, and not as a measure an individual school’s progress over time.  Yet, the agency itself uses the formula to track achievement from one year to the next.  For example, a school that receives a “C” three years in a row may be targeted for corrective action.

Example:

One school, Metropolitan Corporate Academy High School, which is set to close in 2014, improved its score every year from 2006 to 2010, but because of the DOE’s changing formula Metropolitan never rose above a “C.”  In fact, the school fell to a “D” in the 2008-2009 school year even though its numeric score would have earned it a “B” under the 2006-2007 grading formula.  It is impossible to tell to what extent Metropolitan’s scores reflect changes in its own performance or DOE’s changes to the grading formula. (See Table)

“The Comptroller’s audit of the High School Progress Reports demonstrates the difficulty of comparing a school’s letter grade over time when a school’s peer group composition and the cut scores for the grades change from one year to the next,” said Professor Aaron Pallas of Teachers College, Columbia University.  “The recommendation that the DOE report high school progress report grades using both the old and new criteria would enable stakeholders both inside and outside of the schools to understand trends in school performance more completely.”

Action:

Since the audit, the DOE has posted an advisory on its website regarding year-to-year comparisons of High School Progress Report grades.

2. Lack of Communication

The audit determined that, while DOE met with school principals and others about changes, auditors found no evidence that it actually integrated feedback from them into the Progress Report.  In fact, some educators told auditors that they felt as if they were chasing a moving target as they attempted to understand the changes that the DOE made to the grading formula each school year and to prepare students. The audit also found that the DOE did not do enough to inform schools what effect the changes to the grading system were expected to have on Progress Report grades.

“Taken alone, Progress Reports are an unreliable index for determining school closures or related high-stakes decisions,” said Professor David C. Bloomfield, chairman of the education department at the College of Staten Island.  “Greater feedback by stakeholders, as recommended by the audit, might help to improve Progress Reports’ utility in this process.”

Action:

The DOE has since published materials summarizing and responding to feedback from educators and others involved in the 2010-2011 review process.

3. Data Reliability

The audit found that the data — student grades, Regents exam scores, and other information — that the DOE used to calculate each year’s Progress Report grades was representative of student data recorded in the DOE’s computer systems and verifiable.  However, while the data in a given year was accurately recorded, it was not useful as a measure of an individual school’s progress over time.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The DOE generally agreed with nine of the audit’s 10 recommendations and has begun to implement a number of them.  However, the audit notes that “DOE inappropriately misinterpreted and even exaggerated, many of the audits ‘positive’ conclusions as an endorsement for the progress reports,” while simultaneously discounting its weaknesses.

SCOPE: 

The audit was launched in March 2010 using data from the high schools’ 2008-2009 progress reports, the most recent data available at that time. The audit was expanded to include progress reports for the 2006-2007, 2007-2008, and 2009-2010 school years.  In addition, auditors interviewed staff at the high schools in April and May 2010. 

High School	Borough	2006-2007 Score/Grade	2007-2008 Score/Grade	2008-2009	2009-2010
ACORN Community HS	Brooklyn	63.3/B	64.4/A	65.4/B	71.7/A
Baruch College Campus HS	Manhattan	81.2/A	82.6/A	83.6/A	74.5/A
Curtis HS	Staten I.	64.2/B	59.4/B	68.8/B	69.8/B
DeWitt Clinton HS	Bronx	47.7/C	42.7/C	49.7/C	48.1/C
Flushing International HS	Queens	n/a	73.0/A	70.9/A	64.5/B
Jamaica HS	Queens	44/C	37.3/C	41.7/D	45/D
Metropolitan Corporate Academy HS	Brooklyn	35.9/C	39.1/C	43/1/D	48/C
New World HS	Bronx	n/a	97/A	92.1/A	85.6/A
Norman Thomas HS	Manhattan	33.4/D	29.7/D	36/D	36/F
Ralph R. McKee Career and Technical Education HS	Staten I.	63.8/B	67.6/A	79.5/A	76/A

BACKGROUND:

High School Progress Reports are a DOE accountability tool that assigns schools an annual grade (A through F) based on a variety of factors, including student performance, student progress, school environment, and comparisons between schools with similar populations.  The letter grades were introduced in the 2006-2007 school year. 

Comptroller Liu credited Deputy Comptroller for Audit H. Tina Kim and the Audit Bureau for presenting the findings.  The full report is available at http://comptroller.nyc.gov/audits.

COUNCIL MEMBER G. OLIVER KOPPELL DENOUNCES MAYOR’S SPIN ON FLAWED LIVING WAGE STUDY; NOTES POSITIVES IN “KEY FINDINGS”

           Council Member Oliver Koppell strongly condemned misleading statements made by members of the Bloomberg administration regarding a preliminary report on the impact of living wage legislation Koppell has introduced. 

“While the Mayor’s staff has made grandiose statements about the dire consequences of my proposed bill, a close reading of the ‘Key Findings’ summary while significantly flawed, portrays a different reality,” said Koppell. 

Koppell noted, “The analysis erroneously focuses on New York’s Industrial and Commercial Abatement Program (ICAP) as-of-right tax abatement program under which many small projects in the outer boroughs receive subsidies.  However, the legislature has not authorized the city to regulate ICAP and it would accordingly not be captured by the proposal.  This misreading of the bill has resulted in much of the modeling being concentrated on projects that would not be covered.  Nor was it the sponsors’ intent that ICAP subsidies would be considered for the purposes of this legislation.  The study should have focused on the large mixed use developments that receive the lion’s share of the city’s discretionary subsidies and which are the target of the proposal.”

“The report,” said Koppell, “even with its faulty analysis, had some positive findings and conclusions with regard to living wage legislation.”  For example, it projects that 34,000 – 62,000 workers would receive increased wages.  It states at several points that living wage mandates actually “reduce urban poverty.”  This finding should be given prominence because it is based on actual experience with living wage ordinances in other cities, not on models based on questionable data.

Another conclusion in the report was that the overall impact on the economy would be de minimis. In great part this is due to the fact that the future jobs that would allegedly not be created, according to the report, are the result of vastly overstated concerns about potential lawsuits by individuals to obtain lost wages at the higher living wage rate and enforcement actions against recalcitrant employers which would be conducted by the City Comptroller under the proposed law.  Additional losses to the economy, according to the report, can be found in its projection that 6,000 – 13,000 jobs would not be created if the living wage law was to be enacted.  Proponents of the legislation do not accept the premise that a living wage mandate will cause a reduction in jobs created.  Nonetheless, it is significant that the report only projects such a small amount of job loss.

Koppell said, “I look forward to a full hearing on the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act on Thursday, May 12, 2011 at the Council.  We will be hearing from a variety of stakeholders and interested parties, including retail workers, economists, unions and clergy.  It will provide us with an opportunity to get the facts straight and moving us closer to passing this important bill.”