Eight Queens high schools could lose up to half of their staff under city plan

An editorial by the New York Daily News reports on the proposal by New York City's Deptartment of Education to overhaul struggling schools. Under the plan, schools face options that range from having to replace 50% of their staff to having to shut down completely.

The future of eight large Queens high schools — and the hundreds of educators who work there — are in jeopardy as the city plans to overhaul the struggling institutions.

 

The schools could lose up to half of their staff and receive a new principal and name this fall after the city and teachers union failed to reach an agreement on teacher evaluations.

 

The move could help the city get up to $60 million in federal funds.

 

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall has scheduled a Feb. 13 community meeting on the issue.

 

Thirty-three city schools, all on the state’s Persistently Lowest Achieving schools list, could be affected.

 

“The school kids are being used as a political football between the mayor and the teachers [union\],” said state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria). “It’s unacceptable.”

 

Read the full article here.