"I am fully supportive of the resolution, passed today by the MTA's transit and bus committee, to take action against serial offenders including banning them from the system. This is a common sense issue, and the New York State Legislature and criminal justice system have a responsibility to work with the MTA to ensure these perpetrators - who repeatedly target victims on our subways and buses - cannot continue this abhorrent behavior. I thank the members of the MTA Board for their support of this important resolution, and call on our state legislative leaders and the courts to enact the strictest penalties possible so that every rider and worker remains safe in our transit system." said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Third Avenue Business Improvement District - 1 Bronx World Pride Festival
It began with the painting of the crosswalks at Third Avenue and 149th Street the colors of the Pride flag, and ended up as a festival that went into the night after a march from the Bronx County Courthouse. Words can not describe how this event was planned, put together, and how it was pulled off to the level of expertise that occurred.
Mr. Michael Brady and the staff of the Third Avenue BID, their partners in this endeavor, and all who participated deserve a well earned thank you for such a wonderful event. One can only wonder what they have planned for next year, as the team should be starting to plan next year's event with ideas already.
Above - The marchers went from the Bronx County Courthouse, down the Grand Concourse, across 149th Street to Third Avenue where several blocks were closed for the Third Avenue Pride Celebration.
Below - Some of the elected officials who marched.
Above - Several elected officials went on stage to speak as U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer holds the microphone and his Pride flag as he speaks. Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez and City Councilman Mark Gjonaj are on stage with Senator Schumer.
Below - Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. congratulates Third Avenue BID Executive Director Michael Brady on a spectacular event.
Above - Apollonia Cruz was terrific performing on stage.
Below - The beauty of the Brazilian Dancers
Above - Team Biaggi with Congresswoman AOC.
Below - The booth that says it all.
Attorney General James Announces Election Day Hotline To Protect Voter Access During Tuesday's Special And Primary Elections
Voters Experiencing Problems Can Call 1-800-771-7755 or Email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov Between 6AM and 9PM
Attorney General Letitia James announced that the Attorney General’s Office will conduct an Election Day Hotline during Tuesday's elections throughout New York. The hotline will be available to troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues encountered by voters at their poll sites.
Attorney General James urges voters experiencing problems or issues at the polls to call the Office’s Hotline at 1-800-771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov at any time between 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM on Election Day, Tuesday, June 25th. The Hotline will be staffed by attorneys and staff in the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Bureau.
“New Yorkers throughout the State have the fundamental and absolute right to accessible elections,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “My office is doing everything in its power to ensure that New Yorkers are able to have their voices heard. I urge everyone to vote tomorrow and immediately contact our office if they encounter any barriers.”
This Election Day, key changes in election law will be enacted throughout New York State, including:
- The closure of some regular poll sites on Tuesday as some positions have uncontested primaries. Voters can call their local Board of Elections or the Attorney General’s Hotline to determine if there is a contested primary they can vote in and to verify whether their poll site will be open.
- Voters who have moved to another county within New York may now cast a ballot at their new residence without resubmitting an entirely new registration form. This can be done by filing an affidavit ballot at their new residence’s local poll site.
- Poll sites in New York City, and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess and Erie will open at 6:00 AM, while poll sites in all other counties will open at noon.
There are additional changes to the election process set to take effect after Tuesday’s election, including:
- Voters will have the opportunity to vote early in the General Election in November.
- All poll sites will open at 6:00 AM beginning in 2020.
The Attorney General’s Office has operated the voter access Hotline since November 2012. During previous elections, the Office fielded hundreds – and sometimes thousands – of complaints from voters across the state and worked with local election officials and others to address issues. In 2017, the Attorney General’s Office sued and secured a consent decree with the New York City Board of Elections regarding voter registration purges.
The Election Day Hotline is part of the Office’s ongoing effort to reduce barriers to voting. Attorney General James reminds all registered voters that they have the right to accessible elections. In addition, all registered voters have the right to vote free from coercion or intimidation, whether by election officials or any other person.
The Office will receive and respond to election complaints relating to any of the statutes that the Office enforces. The Attorney General’s Election Day Hotline is being coordinated by Assistant Attorneys General Conor Duffy and Ajay Saini of the Civil Rights Bureau and led by Acting Civil Rights Bureau Chief Elena Goldstein. The Civil Rights Bureau is overseen by Chief Deputy Attorney General for Social Justice Meghan Faux.
Attorney General James Obtains $100,000 For Homeowners After Developer Failed To Provide Promised Warranty For Condo's Roof
New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced a settlement with 102 Gold Development LLC and its principal, Anthony Morena, based on their failure to provide the comprehensive, no-dollar-limit (NDL) warranty, initially guaranteed to residents, for the roof at the 102 Gold Street condominium in Brooklyn. After the Attorney General’s office initiated its investigation, the developer agreed to pay the condominium board $100,000 to cover the cost of replacing the building’s roof.
“When New Yorkers invest their savings into buying a new home, they deserve to be treated fairly, and not ripped off,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “This company broke its promise to provide a warranty for the roof at 102 Gold Street to homeowners. My office will continue working to hold developers accountable when they fail to honor their promises.”
102 Gold is an 11-unit residential condominium located at 102 Gold Street in Brooklyn. The condominium’s original offering plan clearly states, under “Roof Warranty,” that a “10 Year NDL [no dollar limit] manufacturer’s warranty shall be provided.” Yet, when a resident tried to submit a warranty claim to the roof’s manufacturer, the resident discovered that there was no evidence that 102 Gold Development LLC ever obtained the 10-year NDL manufacturer’s warranty. In its absence, the condominium’s roof would only be covered by the less expensive, default warranty offered by the roof’s manufacturer, which does not cover workmanship errors in installing the roof.
In addition to the $100,000 the developer has already paid to the condominium board, the developer has also paid a $5,000 penalty for failure to provide the promised warranty.
To Combat Teacher Exodus From New York City Schools, Comptroller Stringer Proposes Largest Teacher Residency Program in America
A staggering 41 percent of all teachers hired in the 2012-13 school year left within five years
Comptroller Stringer’s plan would create largest teacher residency program in America, setting a standard for a full year of in-classroom teacher preparation
Stringer plan establishes year-long, paid, classroom residency program to train 1,000 new teachers each year
New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer today proposed a nation-leading investment in teachers and the City’s public school system to combat persistently high teacher turnover rates, especially among new teachers, that disadvantage high-need school districts and set back the City’s most vulnerable students. In the new report, “Teacher Residencies: Supporting the Next Generation of Teachers and Students,” Comptroller Stringer calls on the City Department of Education (DOE) to establish a large-scale, paid, year-long residency program to vastly expand in-classroom experience for new teachers, and equip them with the classroom skills they need to teach in the country’s largest school district and support New York City’s 1.1 million schoolchildren.
The Comptroller’s analysis reveals how the DOE is failing to keep new teachers, finding that a staggering 41 percent of all teachers hired in the 2012-13 school year left within five years and nearly 20 percent of all public school teachers with less than five years of experience left the classroom in 2017-18 alone. When schools have high teacher turnover, it weakens schools – and weak schools cause students to be left behind, or drop-out. The Comptroller’s plan would close a glaring gap in teacher preparation that fuels teacher workforce attrition, by providing all educators with the skills to identify and support a wide range of academic needs in students – particularly our most vulnerable children, including students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and students experiencing homelessness.
“Our children deserve the very best, and we have to take every step we can to give them a brighter future. That’s what this proposal is all about. If we’re going to give all students a fair shot, adults have to put them first, which means rethinking old approaches and breaking down outdated systems. It’s just a fact – a well-prepared teacher can transform a child’s life. But right now, the City is sending new teachers into the classroom without the experience or tools they need to help our students thrive. We’re throwing them into the deep-end and when they leave, too many of our students can’t stay afloat, as a result,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “We all know that inequality runs straight through our school system, and that’s why we need to make sure our schools can recruit the best teachers – and support them to ensure they stay, and tap the potential of every student in every classroom. Investing in our kids means investing in our future – and part of that, means helping our teachers be the best they can be. As the nation’s largest school district, New York City should lead for our teachers, our parents, and our 1.1 million schoolchildren.”
“Teacher churn is a major problem for our schools and our students, and we want to thank the Comptroller’s office for their work on this key issue,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew. “The UFT would love to see a strong collaboration with local universities and a teacher residency program that would help give all incoming teachers a stronger start in their profession.”
Comptroller Stringer Calls for Largest Teacher Residency Program in the Nation
Comptroller Stringer’s proposal creates a large scale residency program for new teachers, in partnership with local higher education institutions, that could train up to 1,000 new teachers each year – paving the way for classroom success and stemming the tide of high teacher turnover.
- Aspiring teachers work alongside a single, accomplished mentor-teacher in a public school classroom for a year, in-tandem with their studies. This would substantially increase the amount of classroom training most new teachers receive, which for most in the City’s alternative preparation programs, can be just a few weeks.
- Candidate teachers would receive a stipend to cover living expenses during the residency year, and mentor-teachers would receive a salary boost.
With proper planning, this residency would reflect a well-aligned collaboration between DOE and our City’s institutions of higher education, including CUNY and SUNY, with regular feedback channels to inform both curriculum and instructional practice, and ensure that new teachers are ready on “day one” to contribute to goals for educational quality needs set by DOE. At full scale, this proposal would replace the current NYC Teaching Fellows program.
Dismal Teacher Retention Rates
Comptroller Stringer’s report shows that in the last ten years, New York City has experienced steady rates of high teacher turnover, peaking in the 2012-13 school year at 18.6 percent turnover for all teachers and 20.5 percent turnover for new hires. Of the 4,600 teachers hired in the 2012-13 school year, 1,882 had left the system by 2017-18 – roughly 41 percent in just five years.
The Department of Education hires an astounding 6,000 new teachers each school year to replace the legions of teachers who leave – racking up significant costs each year to train and replace staff. Citywide, about one-third of teachers in the City have fewer than five years of experience. Moreover, high rates of turnover are concentrated in higher-need school districts, where the surrounding community is often lower-income and where the majority of students are children of color. The report shows:
Turnover Impacts High-Need Students Most
- In the 2017-18 school year, the Bronx and Manhattan experienced the highest rate of teacher turnover among teachers with less than five years of experience, at 22 percent, while Staten Island had a much lower turnover rate of just 8 percent.
- In specific Community School Districts, the turnover rate is much higher. The turnover rate among new teachers in the Bronx’s District 12 was 31 percent, compared with 22 percent across the borough.
- Turnover among teachers at the City’s former Renewal Schools was 21 percent during the 2015-16 school year, higher than the city average.
- Resignations are by far the most common reason for early career teachers leaving the classroom and account for about 80 percent of all departures after two years of teaching.
- In addition, despite the diversity of New York City’s student body – which is 41 percent Hispanic, 26 percent African-American, 16 percent Asian and 15 percent white – approximately 60 percent of New York City teachers are white, highlighting the need for significant recruitment and retention of teachers of color.
- Moreover, the shortage of teachers trained to educate multilingual learners is out of compliance with State regulations to provide equal opportunity across communities. With over 160,000 multilingual learners enrolled in New York City schools, recruiting and retaining well-qualified teachers who can support this population is crucial.
To read Comptroller Stringer’s report, click here.
Bronx Progressives June Summer Meeting and Presidential Debate Watch Party 6/26/19 at 6:00pm!
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, June 26th at 6:00pm for our upcoming Bronx Progressives June monthly meeting...we will have guest speakers come and talk to membership about health justice in the Bronx!
June Membership Meeting Location 6:00pm
597 East 139th Street
Bronx, NY 10454
Community Room
(East 139th Street, between Cypress and St. Ann's Avenue)
Take 6 train to Cypress Avenue
We will also have the members who applied for Bronx Progressives Executive Leadership positions describe their backgrounds and what they hope to bring to the roles!
This is also the night of the first Presidential Debate so join us after the meeting for a watch party at St. Ann's Cafe located at 283 St Ann's Ave, The Bronx, NY 10454 (on East 139th Street between St. Ann's and Brook Avenue).
The Presidential debate starts at 8:30pm!
After the meeting, we will walk to the debate watch party location together (only a block away)! We will provide FREE appetizers and beer for the first 20 people and after that, since St. Ann's Cafe is a local business in the community, we encourage you to choose from their delicious food offerings!
We are excited to share our newly updated list of honorees, which we will be acknowledging and celebrating during our 2019 Bronx Democratic Party County Dinner, taking place this coming Wednesday, July 17th at 6PM.
The Bronx Democratic Party feels privileged to be able to bring together transcending individuals who represent the very best throughout their respective sectors. Our Chairman Marcos A. Crespo and the rest of the team are thankful for your support, and we truly hope to see you at our 2019 dinner.
Monday, June 24, 2019
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Deploys 85,000 Additional Bottles of Water to Long Beach After E. Coli Found in Drinking Water
"With the boil water notice on Long Beach still in effect and with the influx of people to the area to celebrate Pride earlier today, I directed State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker to send in a team to work with Nassau County and the City of Long Beach to find the source of contamination and directed the State Office of Emergency Management to deliver an additional 85,000 bottles of water to the area. This deployment is on top of the 30,000 bottles of water the State distributed earlier this weekend to support residents on Long Beach. Dr. Zucker and his team remain in constant communication with Nassau County health officials and have offered whatever assistance is needed. Our number one priority is the health and safety of New Yorkers, and we will provide clean drinking water to the people of Long Beach and continue working hand in glove with local leaders to provide whatever resources are needed until this situation is fully resolved."