Assemblyman Dinowitz strongly backs plan to push back teacher evaluation system deadline to 2016

  Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz offered his strong support for the Board of Regents’ directive to the state education department to push back the deadline for school districts to fully implement new teacher evaluations to Sept. 2016 instead of Nov. 15 of this year – ensuring that schools won’t have to worry about having their state funding put in jeopardy this year. He noted that making sure local schools have the funding they need to continue providing a quality education to students has been and remains a top priority, and school children shouldn’t have to suffer any consequences resulting from a deadline being missed.

“This is exactly why the Assembly Majority fought so hard during budget negotiations to put the teacher evaluation system into the hands of the Board of Regents,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz. “We made sure the budget language was crafted to give the Board of Regents significant flexibility in coming up with a new teacher evaluation system. The Assembly Majority also made sure that dedicated education experts who actually understand what goes on in the classroom were elected to the Board of Regents. We’re seeing the results of those wise decisions today.”

The Board of Regents will work to find a way to administratively extend the deadline for school districts to approve new teacher evaluation systems to Sept. 1, 2016. Assemblyman Dinowitz noted that the Regents have that authority and he supported the decision to push the deadline back. 

Under the original plan in the budget, the June 30, 2015, deadline would remain for the Regents to adopt regulations to decide issues such as how much weight to give state-based tests under the new evaluation system, but that giving districts more time to implement the new system would help them to design fair, effective teacher evaluations.

“The Legislature elects a Board of Regents for a reason: to ensure that qualified education experts are directing the education system in our state – not politics,” Assemblyman Dinowitz said. “Extending the deadline will relieve some of the unnecessary pressure to rush through new teacher evaluations. The Assembly Majority continues to stand with teachers to fight any unfair attacks against them, and will keep working to make our schools the best they can be so our children can succeed.”

Editor's Note:  We wonder if Assemblyman Dinowitz, who was a School Board 10 candidate on a slate with then School Board 10 candidate Roberto Ramirez had this thought when he was running for School Board 10. Also we wonder if Assemblyman Dinowitz is in favor of Assembly Education Chair Nolan's bill of changing the wording 'FAILING SCHOOL' to 'STRUGGLING SCHOOL'. 

BP DIAZ REACTS TO LATEST JOB NUMBERS

  Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is praising new job numbers from the New York State Department of Labor, which show even more improvement in the borough’s unemployment rate.

“As I have said in the past, what we are doing in The Bronx is working. Our efforts are bearing fruit. We are creating jobs, and we are making sure that Bronx residents are getting the jobs we are creating,” said Borough President Diaz.

Last week, the New York State Department of Labor released new unemployment figures for March 2015 which showed The Bronx unemployment rate at 8.9%, down from 9.8% in February 2015 and down from a peak of 13.9% in January 2010. The latest numbers show that Bronx County is no longer the county with the highest unemployment rate in New York State, as well.

The Department of Labor’s complete release can be found athttp://on.ny.gov/1KdpGil.

Since Borough President Diaz took office in 2009, The Bronx has seen more than $7 billion in total development, which has led to the creation of over 15,000 new jobs. In addition, a partnership created by Governor Andrew Cuomo in August between the New York State Department of Labor and the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, as part of the “NY Works” program, is placing Bronx residents in these jobs, helping to ensure that new development here benefits everyone, especially Bronxites.

“We are making considerable progress in The Bronx, and this is very positive news. But there is more work that needs to be done. My office will continue to work with the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, our elected officials, business community, community boards, non-profits, and the 1.4 million people who call this borough their home to make The Bronx an even better place to live, work and raise a family. Great things are happening in The Bronx, and the best is yet to come,” added Borough President Diaz.

Chipotle Opens in Bj's Mall on Broiadway

  You can see that the inside of the new Chipotle Restaurant located in the BJ's Mall on Broadway is packed on opening day. I spoke to the manager who said business was better than expected, and he joked that he could be running out of a few items if this demand continues.  No photos were allowed inside the store, but i can tell you that there was plenty of help on hand to serve the customers just what they wanted. 

  If you look closely on the side of the police car, it is not from the 50th Pct. around the corner from the new Chipotle Restaurant on Broadway at West 237th Street, but from the 52nd Pct. located on Webster Avenue. There is a Chipotle Restaurant in the 52nd Pct. on Fordham Road that opened up last week, and I was told by an unnamed officer that Chipotle is even busier than this new one. Tomorrow at 11 AM  the new Buffalo Wild Wings on the second floor of this mall will be opening. 

Above - As for the new BJ's no opening date has been announced, but that there is to be a job fair soon between the BOEDC and BJ's. 

Below - the CLOSED KEEP OUT sign on the door tells it all, as delays have pushed back the BJ's opening close to one year. 

MAY 2015 COMMUNITY BOARD 8 and COMMITTEE CALENDARS

BOARD MEETING CB 8

WHEN: Tuesday, May 12, 2015, 7:30 PM

LOCATION: Manhattan College, School of Engineering, 3825 Corlear Avenue, Fischbach Room, 4th  Floor

PUBLIC GALLERY SESSION: Each month the General Board meeting begins with a Public Gallery Session. If you wish to address the Board, please contact the office at 718-884-3959. Please note there is a limit of five speakers.

Speakers have 3 minutes each.

COMMUNITY BOARD 8 COMMITTEE CALENDARS

For updates on schedule and locations, visit us on the web at: www.nyc.gov/bronxcb8

o Aging: 3:30PM, Tuesday, May 19th,  Riverdale Senior Center, 2600 Netherland Avenue

o Economic Development: No meeting this month

o Education: 7:30PM, Tuesday, May 26th, Board office, 5676 Riverdale Avenue, Suite 100

o Environment & Sanitation: 7:30PM, Wednesday, May 20th, Location to be determined

o Executive Committee: 7:30PM, Wednesday, May 6th, Schervier Apartments, 2975 Independence Avenue

o Health, Hospitals & Social Services – Public Hearing and Committee meeting: 7:00PM (please note earlier start), Monday, May 18th, , Park Gardens Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, 6585 Broadway, between West 260 - 261st Streets

o Housing: 7:30PM, Wednesday, May 13th, Water of Life Church, 168 West 225th Street,
(Please note day of meeting)

o Land Use – No meeting this month

o Law, Rules & Ethics: 7:00PM, Thursday, May 21st, , Riverdale Mental Health, 5676 Riverdale Avenue, 2nd floor conference room

o Libraries & Cultural Affairs: No meeting

o Nominating Committee: All meetings begin 6:00PM, May 5, 6, 13, 18, Board office, 5676 Riverdale Avenue,

o Parks & Recreation: 7:00PM, Wednesday, May 27th, Schervier Apartments, 2975 Independence Avenue

o Public Safety: 7:00PM, Thursday, May 21st, 50th Precinct, 3450 Kingsbridge Avenue

o Special Committee for the Greenway : No meeting this month

o Traffic & Transportation: 7:30PM, Tuesday, May 19th, Manhattan College, 3825 Corlear Avenue, Fischbach Room, 4th floor

o Youth – No Meeting this month

The June Bronx Community Board No. 8 meeting is Tuesday, June 9th, location Wave Hill, Armor Hall, West 249th Street and Independence Avenue, 7:30PM.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

o Bronx Week – May 7-17

Bronx Week is an annual festival in our borough with many activities over an 11 day period. This year there will be a film festival, neighborhood tours, Bronx Ball, parade, and a food and arts festival.

Click here for a list of  events http://www.ilovethebronx.com/.

Medicaid Audits Find More Than $500 Million in Waste

Dinapoli Report Urges Increased Oversight With Transition to Managed Care

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s audits identified a total of $513 million in improper Medicaid payments and untapped revenue opportunities over a four-year period, according to a report released today. Auditors identified another $361 million in questionable transactions that will require further review and actions to prevent overpayments or recover costs.

“Medicaid is a vitally important program, insuring nearly 6.4 million New Yorkers and enabling them to access health care that would otherwise be unaffordable,” DiNapoli said. “But New York’s Medicaid program costs billions of dollars annually and the work done by my auditors has found waste throughout the system. My office will continue to diligently examine Medicaid payments to make sure healthcare dollars are being spent appropriately and taxpayer dollars are not squandered.”

The state expects to transition the majority of Medicaid spending, services, and enrollees to managed care by 2016, but recent audits by DiNapoli’s office highlight the need for more effective oversight of managed care organizations (MCOs). The report notes it is essential for DiNapoli’s auditors to have ready access to the MCOs’ financial and program data in order to perform its mandated financial oversight functions.

In state fiscal year 2015-2016, the Division of the Budget projects Medicaid expenditures will reach $62 billion in federal, state and local funding. State funding alone for the Medicaid program is projected to account for $22.4 billion.

While the Department of Health (DOH) administers the state’s Medicaid program, DiNapoli’s office plays an independent role in ensuring the Medicaid program’s integrity through auditing along with the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG). The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) investigates and prosecutes individuals and companies responsible for improper or fraudulent billing schemes at the state level, and county District Attorneys perform the same functions at the county level.

From January 2011 through February 2015, DiNapoli’s office released 73 audit reports highlighting recurring deficiencies in eMedNY, the computer system that processes Medicaid claims.

Flaws and inadequate system controls in eMedNY caused at least $190 million of the improper payments. Audits found that DOH was often slow to modify eMedNY, at times taking as long as three years to resolve issues raised by DiNapoli’s auditors.

Over the period, DOH failed to collect more than $170 million in drug rebates and discounts and made $169 million in improper payments for services provided to enrollees covered by both Medicare and Medicaid.

Overpayments also resulted from:

• eMedNY’s failure to deduct patient cost-sharing amounts from nursing-home payments ($47 million);
• Duplicate payments by managed care organizations (MCOs) and fee-for-service Medicaid ($18 million); and
• The issuance of multiple client identification numbers ($17 million).

Significant recoveries that resulted from DiNapoli’s audits included nearly $82 million from dual-eligible claims; $48 million from audits of cost-sharing funds in nursing homes and other errors on nursing-home claims and nearly $13 million from dental claims.

The Comptroller recommends that New York take the following actions to enhance the state’s financial oversight of MCOs in Medicaid:

• Set standards to ensure that MCOs detect, prevent, and correct errors in provider payments;
• Strengthen standards for MCOs regarding provider credentialing, review and verification, and timely reporting of this information to the state;
• Implement previously issued audit recommendations, which address processing of MCO claims, in the new Medicaid Administrative Services system;
• Strengthen the enforcement of timeliness and quality standards as well as provider identification requirements for encounter data from MCOs; and
• Apply financial penalties when MCOs do not comply with DOH requirements.

See the complete report: Ensuring Integrity in New York State Medicaid.

Upcoming Bronx Chamber of Commerce Events

The Bronx Chamber of Commerce would like to invite you to our upcoming events: 

Monday, April 27th 

Meet and Greet with City Councilman 

Andrew Cohen 

Bronx Community Charter School

3170 Webster Avenue. 

6:00  PM

Tuesday, April 28th 

Enjoy delicious Burgers and a great people at 

Five Guys Burgers and Fries 

Ribbon Cutting

at the Throggs Neck Mall 

815 Hutchinson River Pkwy

5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 29th 

Warm up to our Annual Golf Event with a 

great Networking event at Turtle Cove 

located on 1 City Island Road  

Enjoy Food, Golf Lessons, Great People 

from 5:30 p.m. -7:00 pm. 

Thursday, April 30th 

Join us for a great way to end the month with

a Complimentary Networking Event hosted by

 NorthEast Community Bank

 at the  

The Bronx Beer Hall 

Looking forward to seeing you there please 

RSVP with events@bronxchamber.org

 Call 718-828-3900 or go onto our websitewww.bronxchamber.org for more

 information 

SENATOR KLEIN HONORS LOCAL PARENT LEADERS AT ANNUAL EDUCATORS BREAKFAST

  Celebrating the remarkable achievements and positive contributions of parent leaders in the 34th Senate District, State Senator Jeff Klein, joined by more than 200 education officials, local teachers and parents, today hosted his annual Educators Breakfast at F&J Pine Restaurant in the Bronx. More than 50 parent leaders received certificates of appreciation for their dedication to local schools.

Senator Klein said: “Parent engagement plays a critical role in child development, educational attainment and overall academic success. Today, I’m proud to host our third annual Educators Breakfast to honor and celebrate our parent leaders who work tirelessly to bring increased resources and much-needed supports to our local schools.”

The program featured a welcome breakfast, keynote address and awards ceremony. The event was co-sponsored by TD Bank and Healthfirst. Dr. Rosa Gil of Comunilife, a New York City-based not-for-profit which partners with local schools to increase awareness of the Latina teen suicide epidemic, made a special appearance. School principals, education stakeholders, social workers, teachers and parents from across the Bronx attended the breakfast.

Parent leaders from the following district schools received awards:

• Ampark Neighborhood School
• Bronx High School of Science
• Bronx School of Law and Finance
• Bronxdale High School
• Collegiate Institute for Math and Science
• DeWitt Clinton High School
• The Felisa Rincon de Gautier Institute for Law and Public Policy
• Herbert H. Lehman High School
• High School of Language and Innovation
• J.H.S. 131 Albert Einstein
• Jonas Bronck Academy
• Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy International High School
• M.S. 101 Edward R. Byrne
• P.S. 24 Spuyten Duyvil
• P.S. 36 Unionport
• P.S. 48 Joseph R. Drake
• P.S. 107
• P.S. 12 Lewis and Clark School
• P.S. 14 Senator John Calandra
• Pelham Preparatory Academy
• P.S./M.S. 194
• The Bronx Mathematics Preparatory School
• Urban Institute of Mathematics
• West Bronx Academy for the Future
• Schuylerville Preparatory High School
• Soundview Academy for Culture and Scholarship
• Holy Cross School
• Holy Family School
• St. Clare of Assisi School

Senator Klein continued: “Parents are the unsung heroes of Bronx schools. Their constant dedication and commitment to improving the lives of our children, local schools and communities is invaluable. I look forward to our continued work together as we fight to stand up for both our students and our communities.”

COMPTROLLER STRINGER AUDIT REVEALS NEARLY ONE THIRD OF MTA EXPRESS BUSES NOT ON TIME

Brooklyn & Staten Island buses least reliable; nearly 40% of complaints about delays

 - Express buses run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) missed their scheduled departure times more than 30 percent of the time according to an audit released today by New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer. The audit also found that the MTA did not, until recently, even have the ability to track on-time performance of express buses on a regular, consistent basis and still has not set publically reported on-time performance targets.

“We live in the greatest City in the world and we need a mass transit system that reflects that,” Comptroller Stringer said. “Millions of New Yorkers rely on express buses each year. When one out of every three buses is not on time, it impacts every borough and hits at our City’s economic competitiveness. New York City already has the longest workday in the country – our express buses should be a part of the solution, not the problem.”

The audit examined timeliness, wheelchair functionality, and customer satisfaction of express buses run by two agencies within the MTA: MTA Bus Company and New York City Transit (NYCT). The two agencies carried more than 9 million and 11.5 million commuters on express buses, respectively, in 2013 and each operates a fleet of over 500 express buses. Auditors observed 12 different express bus routes at the first and last stop of each line in the originating borough during the morning and/or afternoon rush hours from October 2013 through December 2013, and measured whether buses left before, on time, or later than scheduled.

The audit found that, overall, sampled express buses were not on time more than 30 percent of the time and commuters waited anywhere from 6 to 28 minutes after a scheduled departure time for the next available bus.

• Staten Island’s X1 and X17 buses displayed the worst performance, leaving either too late or too early an average of 35.9 percent of the time. 
• In Brooklyn, the BM1, X27 and X28 bus routes were not on time an average of 33.7 percent of the time. 
• On average, Queens and Bronx express bus routes were not on time 32.1 percent and 20.3 percent of the time, respectively. 

Based on our observations, the vast majority of late departures occurred during the afternoon rush, with Brooklyn routes ranking highest with 36 late departures from Manhattan.  Queens had the highest number of late departures during the morning rush with 24.  Brooklyn also had the highest number of early departures in the morning, with 19 of the 30 buses that we found left too early during our citywide observations. 

“Living in Rosedale, New Dorp, Bay Ridge or Co-Op City shouldn’t mean you get less reliable and efficient mass transit.  There’s a real human cost when long commutes separate people from their jobs and families and it’s one our City can’t afford,” Stringer said.

Significant findings of the audit include:

• Delayed and late buses make up nearly 40 percent of all express bus customer complaints: The MTA received 660 complaints related to express bus service from May-September 2014. Nearly 40 percent of those complaints were about late or delayed buses and 13 percent involved buses bypassing stops. Until April 2014, the MTA used an Excel spreadsheet to track complaints, though the system lacked the ability to categorize complaints by type or priority. Its new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system allows greater functionality and effectiveness in responding to complaints. 
• MTA has failed to establish on-time performance targets for express buses: Until recently, the MTA did not even track on-time performance for express buses on a regular or consistent basis and so has been hindered in its ability to develop realistic time schedules.  While the MTA publicly reports the percentage of bus trips completed and mean distance between failures, auditors found that it does not have on-time performance targets for its express buses. The MTA recently launched Bus Trek, a GPS platform that tracks buses along their scheduled routes, but the Authority hasn’t disclosed how it will use this data to improve performance.
• MTA has failed to develop standard procedures for checking wheelchair lifts: Although MTA personnel are required to inspect wheelchair lifts each week, without current, consistent standards to guide them, auditors found inconsistent inspection practices across bus depots. Without standardized procedures, wheelchair lifts may not function, prohibiting disabled riders from using particular buses and delaying riders. 

The Comptroller’s office recommended that the MTA:  

• Continue to use Bus Trek to modify and improve express bus schedules so that they are more reliable;
• Develop on-time performance and other performance targets for its express buses and publicly report progress toward meeting those targets; 
• Update its procedures for inspecting wheelchair lifts and ensure that information is communicated effectively; and  
• Continue to utilize CRM in tracking express bus complaints so it can more effectively determine trends and patterns that need to be addressed. 

“We need to bring all parties to the table to discuss ways to improve service, including our hard-working drivers who know these neighborhoods and roadways better than anyone. Express bus riders pay a premium for their commutes, but management hasn’t done enough to ensure these buses are worth the cost.  MTA management must take immediate steps to improve performance across the board and be more transparent about how they’ve met their own standards,” Stringer said.   

"Express buses serve the people who need reliable public transit the most: residents of the boroughs, far from the city's core, who have few other options for how to get to work.  Thank you to Scott Stringer for delving into the details to show where express bus service can improve for the 75,000 New Yorkers who rely on it every day,” said John Raskin, Executive Director of the Riders Alliance.

"Express bus riders are paying much higher fares but aren't getting reliable service in return. Comptroller Stringer's audit shows that they just aren't getting their monies worth," said Gene Russianoff, staff attorney for the Straphangers Campaign, a transit riders group.

To read the full audit, please click here.