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Newsletters 2007
April
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
April 30, 2007
Keep Dialogue Going on the 2030 Plan
Mayor Bloomberg deserves praise for his bold 2030 plan, which seeks to meld the efforts of the private, public and non-profit sectors to ensure a healthy environment and vibrant economy for decades to come.
The plan, however, is only the beginning. Now comes the hard part: Implementation. For the 2030 plan to morph into long-term reality, every New Yorker needs to sign on and do his or her part. I've called on leading advocates and experts to comment on some of the specifics of this important initiative. Together, we will make sure we keep the dialogue going and make sure New Yorkers take an active role in making this plan a reality. To read the experts’ responses to PlaNYC, click here.
High School Graduation Rates: We Can Do Better
New York may be the greatest city in the world, but you’d never know it by its on-time high school graduation rate. At 50 per cent at most, it’s one of the city’s greatest failures. And the rate among black and Hispanic students is an even bigger disaster.
The city Department of Education can do better, and it must. Parents should hold the city DOE accountable for this abysmal performance.
Join Me Wednesday for an Education Forum in the Bronx
My next educational forum takes place this Wednesday, May 2, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Mott Haven Branch of the New York Public Library, 321 East 140th Street at Alexander Avenue in the Bronx. Topics include Career and Technical Education, school safety, special education and English Language Learners. Panelists include Udi Ofer from the New York Civil Liberties Union, Mike Mulgrew from the United Federation of Teachers and Dr. Randi Herman from the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators.
Save May 24 for an "Honoring Mothers" Program
On Thursday, May 24, MomsRising.org and 1199 SEIU join me in presenting an "Honoring Mothers" program. As of now it features the Paid Family Leave Coalition and the Community Service Society of New York. Where: 330 West 42nd Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues. When: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
April 9, 2007
Working to Keep Medicare Part D Centers Open
Here’s a real success story. My office helps New Yorkers access city services. So we took immediate action when we learned that the city Department for the Aging (DFTA) was shutting down 45 Medicare Part D enrollment and information centers. This was happening despite the fact that many seniors, especially those with low incomes, complex medical needs and language or mobility barriers, need individualized help as they navigate the Medicare Part D bureaucracy.
My staff made numerous calls to the DFTA program director, advocates and community based organizations about the imminent shut-down. Fortunately, it was averted. The DFTA contacted me with the excellent news that these centers will remain open through Dec. 31. Having helped about 100,000 seniors in the last 18 months, the centers now are poised to help tens of thousands more. It’s a small but welcome victory for New York seniors.
Delivering Easter Baskets
My staff took over my conference room one day last week to stuff Easter baskets with iridescent Easter grass, small games, health bars, crayons, chocolate eggs, raisins and jelly beans. I was so pleased to deliver these baskets last Saturday to about 40 families at Theresa's Haven, a Bronx shelter. It was a modest effort on our part, but the children who live at Theresa's Haven were beyond happy. They were thrilled. Matter of fact, so was I. Check our website soon to see pictures.
Helping New Yorkers Cut Through Bureaucracy
I’m urging every Community Board to pass a resolution supporting REAACT, the Ready Access to Assistance Act. This bill, which I introduced, allows advocates to be present in agencies that administer public benefits. As New Yorkers apply for these benefits, advocates would be on hand to offer prompt advice, representation and translation services.
Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are eligible for public benefits but not enrolled. One reason is that they need help penetrating bureaucratic complexities. Buffalo, Los Angeles and San Diego all allow on-site advocates. So did New York City, until the Giuliani Administration. It’s time we did so again.
For background on the REAACT bill, click here.
DOE Needs to Add More High School Seats
During a visit to Newtown High School in Queens, I renewed my call on the city Department of Education (DOE) to plan for nearly 16,000 more high school seats to meet its four-year graduation goal.
Newtown is one of many overcrowded high schools. IIt operates at 133 percent of capacity, with nearly 900 more students than intended. The City must invest in additional high school seats to help reach DOE graduation goals and curb school overcrowding. To read my report on this subject, click here.
Education Forum in the Bronx
Save the Date: My next education forum will take place on Wednesday, May 2, in the Bronx.
Betsy Gotbaum This Week
April 2, 2007
By Failing to Plan now, the DOE is Planning to Fail in the Future
During a visit last week to James Madison High School in Brooklyn, I renewed my call for the City to beef up its plans for school construction. These bricks-and-mortar plans should conform to the DOE’s goals for high school graduation.
But they don't. While the DOE aims for a 70 percent graduation rate for the 2009-2010 school year, the current DOE school construction plan is based on only 46 percent of students staying in school from 9th grade to 12th grade. An analysis by my office found that the DOE's five-year capital program calls for roughly half of the space that's needed if the 70 percent target is to be met.
I urge the DOE to give students the space they need, and the physical resources, to stay in school and graduate.
To read my report, click here.
Listening to Parents, Holding the DOE Accountable
I held a forum in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Wednesday night to listen to parents and their concerns about schools. I have held similar forums and visited schools all across the city. Here’s what I’ve heard and seen: children are packed into overcrowded classrooms and parents feel left out of the decision-making process.
DOE just doesn’t get it. Instead of listening to parents and teachers, DOE imposes plans without input from the community. Their risky reorganization of the school system will mean that private corporations will have even more control over our children’s education and parents and teachers will have even less. We can do better. We all know the problems in our schools won't go away overnight. But we need to work together and give parents a say in the process. To find out about our next education forum, please contact my office at 212-669-7250 or visit my website at www.pubadvocate.nyc.gov.
HPV Vaccine: Access is the Key
I questioned City officials last Thursday about their efforts to expand access to the HPV vaccine. Over 150 women die each year in New York because of cervical cancer - the main cause of which is the common sexually transmitted disease HPV.
New Yorkers want to get the vaccine, and they need to be able to access it.
And yet, my office found that none of the city's immunization and STD clinics, run by DOHMH, offered the vaccine and only about half of the HHC child and teen health clinics offered it.
Since our report, City officials have said that they are committed to making this vaccine available. I hope so. I plan to work with them as the City provides access to the vaccine and helps saves lives.
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