Gov. Andrew Cuomo quickly shot down Mayor Bill de Blasio's proposal to diversify New York City's eight elite public schools on Monday, saying it came too late in this year's legislative session.
While noting the mayor raised an important issue, Cuomo said in an interview with Spectrum News NY1 that there wouldn't be "appetite" in Albany to attack such a thorny issue, with just two weeks left before the lawmakers' scheduled recess for the year.
The comments came less than a day after de Blasio publicly offered support for a state law that abolish the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, which is the sole determinant of whether students gain admission to Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and the other specialized high schools. De Blasio and other officials blame the tests for the lack of diversity at the schools.
Instead of one admissions test, de Blasio is proposing a plan that would reserve seats at specialized high schools for top students from every middle school.
Education reporter from Politico NY, Eliza Shapiro spoke with WNYC's All Things Considered Jami Floyd. Shapiro points out the city has the authority to change the admissions processes to the five newer specialized high schools that aren't governed by the 1971 state law, which effects only Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant High School and Brooklyn Technical High School.
"The mayor has the power... to change admissions at five of the eight schools," Shaprio said. She asked de Blasio why he wouldn't consider changing the admissions policy to the five schools where he had the legal right to, and lead Albany by example. "He's insisting basically the only way to push change is to deal with all eight schools at once. Now there's a counter argument, which is that Albany often doesn't act unless really pushed."
Black and Latino students make up nine percent of offers to specialized high schools, though they account for more than 68 percent of all New York City high school students, according to the city. In 2016, about half of the admissions offers went to students at just 21 middle schools. Next year, just 10 black students will enter Stuyvesant High School out of a freshman class of more than 900.
But, there is considerable push-back to amending the admissions process, Shapiro said.
"The alumni organizations particular at the big three schools as the central political obstacle to change here. People feel deep, deep connection to these specialized schools," Shapiro said. "If you sort approach this issue from the idea that all kids are inherently equal and have talent and the question is not of talent but of opportunity and resource, than I think it's pretty clear to see that black and Latino students have been under-resourced in relation to the specialized high schools and the test."