NEW YORK -- The City University of New York and IBM will open a unique school that starts at grade 9 and allows students to earn an associate's degree. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced today on MSNBC that those students will be "first in line for a job at IBM." Bloomberg also said the city will move to a rating...

NEW YORK -- The City University of New York and IBM will open a unique school that starts at grade 9 and allows students to earn an associate's degree.

Associated PressMayor Michael Bloomberg

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced today on MSNBC that those students will be "first in line for a job at IBM."

Bloomberg also said the city will move to a rating system designed to ensure teacher tenure is linked to classroom performance.

He said the city will use a $36 million federal grant to enlist highly-skilled teachers to work in low-performing schools and mentor fellow instructors.

Earlier today, Mayor Corey Booker said about $40 million has been raised so far to match the Newark schools' donation from Facebook's founder.

Booker appeared in Manhattan with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg at NBC News' "Education Nation" Summit.

U.S. students attend classes about a month less than children in most other advanced countries, he says

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama started the school week today with a call for a longer school year, and said the worst-performing teachers have "got to go" if they don't improve quickly.

Bemoaning America's decreasing global educational competitiveness, Obama sought in a nationally broadcast interview to reinvigorate his education agenda. At the same time, the president acknowledged that many poor schools don't have the money they need and he defended federal aid for them. But Obama also said that money alone won't fix the problems in public schools, saying higher standards must be set and achieved by students and teachers alike.

Associated PressPresident Barack Obama believes in a longer school year.

Asked in an interview if he supported a year-round school year, Obama said: "The idea of a longer school year, I think, makes sense." He did not specify how long that school year should be but said U.S. students attend classes, on average, about a month less than children in most other advanced countries.

On other topics in a live half-hour television interview, Obama said that White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has not told him whether he will resign to run for mayor of Chicago, as is widely expected. Obama said he knows Emanuel must decide quickly to mount a serious campaign.

The president also sought anew to show that he understands the frustration of millions of people coping with a slow economy -- and high joblessness -- some 20 months into his term. He said that even if people know he is working hard to fix their problems, what they expect from him is "something concrete" to help them get a job and pay their bills.

Obama appeared on NBC's "Today" show in a live interview that focused on education.

Education is primarily the domain of state and local governments. But the federal government has leverage and uses it, for example, through the strings it attaches to poverty aid that thousands of schools depend upon to support their programming.

The president admitted that his own daughters, Malia and Sasha, couldn't get the same quality education at a Washington, D.C. public school that they currently get at their private school. The Obama girls attend Sidwell Friends School, an elite private school in the Washington area.

"The DC public schools systems are struggling," Obama said, though he added that the school district has, "made some important strides over the last several years to move in the direction of reform." Public schools in Washington have long faced criticism for their low test scores and high dropout rates.

Separately Monday, Obama announced a goal of recruiting 10,000 teachers who work in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math -- over the next two years. In a statement, Obama said such education is vital to allowing students to compete against their peers in today's economy.

In the interview, the president said he wants to work with teachers unions, and he embraced the role they play in defending their members. But he said that unions cannot and should not defend a status quo in which one-third of children are dropping out. He challenged them not to be resistant to change.

And the president endorsed the firing of teachers who, once given the chance and the training to improve, are still not serving students well.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to take public school teachers to task, announcing yesterday they will no longer get the "rubber stamp" for tenure but instead will have to earn it. Only those deemed to have helped students and schools improve significantly for two consecutive years will be rewarded with tenure. "I honor our teachers and...

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to take public school teachers to task, announcing yesterday they will no longer get the "rubber stamp" for tenure but instead will have to earn it.

Only those deemed to have helped students and schools improve significantly for two consecutive years will be rewarded with tenure.

"I honor our teachers and I think we have the best teachers in the country," Bloomberg said. "They're smart, they're tough, passionate men and women who give their all with all of their heart ... but the truth is, not every single one of them deserves a lifetime job."

The plan is part of a four-pronged initiative that the mayor broached during a speech he gave on MSNBC yesterday morning on bettering the education system across the city, with a goal of doubling the number of students with associate's degrees in the next decade. The other aims: Improving private and public partnerships; improving classroom technology, and building 100 new small schools and 100 charter schools over the next three years.

Mayor Bloomberg

Bloomberg said the City University of New York and IBM already have developed a partnership to create a high school for students in grades nine through 14. By the time they graduate, students will have an associate's degree and a guaranteed job at IBM.

As part of his plan to reward teachers, he said the city would make use of a $36 million grant from the federal Department of Education to encourage a mentoring program in which master teachers who train new teachers will receive a 30 percent salary increase. Exceptional teachers who agree to work in some of the city's lowest-performing schools would be eligible for a 15 percent salary increase.

In addition to adjusting the tenure policy, Bloomberg said he wants state lawmakers to change the existing policy in respect of layoffs, which mandates that the last teachers hired be the first let go.

The proposal raised questions among education advocates, however, who wondered how Bloomberg could prevent principals from eliminating senior teachers and their higher salaries as a budget-cutting stratagem.

United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, a Staten Islander, was one of those to question the plan.

"The seniority layoff process is part of state law and a critical guarantee against discrimination," Mulgrew said in a statement.

As for the tenure-granting process, Mulgrew said teachers would welcome an objective procedure with more oversight. The current system relies heavily on the subjectivity of school principals.

President Obama also took to the airwaves yesterday, saying that the worst-performing teachers have "got to go" if they don't improve quickly. During the half-hour NBC interview, he also called for a longer school year, bemoaning America's decreasing global educational competitiveness.

Asked if he supported a year-round school year, Obama said: "The idea of a longer school year, I think, makes sense." He did not specify how long that school year should be but said U.S. students attend classes, on average, about a month less than do children in most other advanced countries.

At the same time, the president acknowledged that many poor schools don't have the money they need, and he defended federal aid for them. But Obama also said that money alone won't fix the problems in public schools, saying higher standards must be set and achieved by students and teachers alike.

Separately yesterday, Obama announced a goal of recruiting 10,000 teachers who work in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math -- over the next two years. In a statement, Obama said such education is vital to allowing students to compete against their peers in today's economy.

NEW YORK -- President Barack Obama's call for a longer school day and year for America's kids echoes a similar call he made a year ago to little effect, illustrating just how deeply entrenched the traditional school calendar is and how little power the federal government has to change it. Education reformers have long called for U.S. kids to...

NEW YORK -- President Barack Obama's call for a longer school day and year for America's kids echoes a similar call he made a year ago to little effect, illustrating just how deeply entrenched the traditional school calendar is and how little power the federal government has to change it.

Education reformers have long called for U.S. kids to log more time in the classroom so they can catch up with their peers elsewhere in the world, but resistance from leisure-loving teenagers isn't the only reason there is no mass movement to keep schoolchildren in their seats.

Associated PressIn this Sept. 14, 2010 file photo, President Barack Obama shakes hands with students after delivering remarks at his second annual back-to-school speech, at Julia R. Masterman School in Philadelphia. Obama's call for a longer school day and year for America's kids echoes a similar call he made a year ago to little effect, illustrating just how deeply entrenched the traditional school calendar is and how little power the federal government has to change it.

Such a change could cost cash-strapped state governments and local school districts billions of dollars, strip teachers of a time-honored perk of their profession, and irk officials in states that already bridle at federal intrusion into their traditional control over education.

"If you extend the school year for, say, five days, you're paying for another week of salaries, another week of utilities and another week of fuel for, in South Carolina, 5,700 school buses," said Jim Foster, a spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Education.

Obama told NBC's Matt Lauer on the "Today" show yesterday that the U.S. school year is too short.

"The idea of a longer school year, I think, makes sense," he said. He did not specify how long that school year should be, but said U.S. students attend classes, on average, about a month less than children in most other advanced countries.

U.S. schools through high school offer an average of 180 instruction days per year, according to the Education Commission of the States. That compares to an average of 197 days for lower grades and 196 days for upper grades in countries with the best student achievement levels, including Japan, South Korea, Germany and New Zealand.

Many education experts say American kids should spend more time in school.

"There's a growing awareness that American kids are being shortchanged academically by the short school day and the short school year," said Pedro Noguera, a professor of education at New York University.

Today's American kids have a long summer vacation because previous generations needed the summer off to work on family farms.

Now researchers say the tradition causes a "summer learning loss" as kids put aside the books for the summer. The problem hits low-income students especially hard. A Johns Hopkins University study found that disadvantaged kids fall back during the summer break, while better-off kids hold steady or continue to learn.

Charter schools that aim to bring low-income students up to grade level, such as the KIPP academies and the Harlem Children's Zone in New York City, generally offer a longer school year and a longer school day.

In most cases the charter schools have leeway to set their own schedules, in part because their teachers are not covered by union contracts.

At traditional public schools where teachers and other employees are usually represented by unions, lengthening the school day or the school year would be subject to collective bargaining, and more hours would cost more money.

"It has to be negotiated, and it takes money," said Janet Bass, a spokeswoman for the American Federation of Teachers. "Right now teachers and all other school staff are compensated based on the number of hours they work."

Some states embrace the idea. In Massachusetts, the state issues grants to districts with plans to constructively lengthen instructional class time, said Kathy Christie, chief of staff at the Education Commission of the States. Obama's Education Department already is using competitions among states for curriculum grant money through its "Race to the Top" initiative.

"The federal carrots of additional money would help more states do it or schools do it in states where they don't have a state grant process," Christie said.

But the federal budget is hard-up, too. And while many educators and parents believe students would benefit from more quality learning time, the idea is not universally popular.

Texas already forbids school from starting before the fourth Monday of August, a provision designed to save money on utility bills and increase business for tourist destinations and other summer attractions.

"Ultimately the states, not the federal government, should have the final word on this and other public school decisions," said Lucy Nashed, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry.

In Kansas, sporadic efforts by local districts to extend the school year at even a few schools have been met by parental resistance, said state education commissioner Diane DeBacker.

"The community was just not ready for kids to be in school all summer long," DeBacker said. "Kids wanted to go swimming. Their families wanted to go on vacation."

In some states, the school year already starts well before Labor Day and in others nearly stretches to the Fourth of July.

Parents are similarly divided.

Parent Irene Facciolo in Montpelier, Vt., said kids need the summer break and learn while they're away from school.

"I really feel like they need the time to regenerate," she said.

But Laura Spencer of Orlando, Fla., says she would rather have her 10-year-old daughter learning than hanging out.

"Summer is a lost opportunity," said Spencer, who believes having kids out of school for three to four months makes an already flawed education system worse.

School system has to be run for children, not teachers, he reiterates

Associated PressNew York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, center, has his microphone removed after his presentation at the NBC News' "Education Nation" summit in New York yesterday.

Bloomberg said today that most public school teachers do a great job. He said those who don't "have to get another career."

Bloomberg spoke on NBC's "Today" show, a day after announcing a series of educational initiatives.

He said he wasn't blaming the teachers' union or the city for not being more aggressive in the past in denying automatic tenure. But he said the school system has to be run for the children, not for the people who work in it.

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, in a separate interview on "Today," said she agreed with the mayor.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It didn't matter to Kathleen Grimm whether there were public buses to transport students to schools on Staten Island. Or whether some of those buses would be cut by the MTA. Or whether students would have long walks to and from the bus stop. In fact, when the deputy chancellor for operations for the city...

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It didn't matter to Kathleen Grimm whether there were public buses to transport students to schools on Staten Island.

Or whether students would have long walks to and from the bus stop.

In fact, when the deputy chancellor for operations for the city Department of Education was asked about those topics yesterday, she had three words to say: "It isn't relevant."

In a contentious trial over school bus variances that were taken away from nearly 3,000 seventh- and eighth-graders across the borough starting this school year, Ms. Grimm, the prime mover in cutting the service, said the only concern she had was that Staten Island was "out of sync" with the rest of the city.

Bloomberg: Signed off on plan

"There seemed to be no real justification for them [the variances] because we do not bus seventh- and eighth-graders, as a rule," she said. Later, she added, "There was no rationale for the variance to continue to exist."

Ms. Grimm also said that from the time the idea to cut busing was first considered -- "close to a year ago" -- to the time it was implemented, she had no knowledge of studies that were performed of the impact that rescinding the variances would have on Staten Island students.

She also said she did not ask any city officials to visit the Island to sample commutes that children would have to deal with.

"We were quite confident that, while it might create some inconveniences, it certainly wouldn't create any safety problems," she said. "It wouldn't impede on anyone from getting to school."

It was only after the decision was finalized that her staff was asked to look into the potential impact of pulling yellow buses, because she knew the department would have to face angry parents and local elected officials.

"When we did this, we certainly knew it was going to be controversial," Ms. Grimm said in court yesterday, adding, "When people have a service and it's taken away from them ... it's inconvenient and I knew that people would be upset."

In deciding about the cuts, there were no objections among her internal staff, not even from the mayor himself, who -- according to e-mail correspondence read aloud during the trial -- was made aware of the cuts before they were finalized.

In an e-mail dated May 3, Ms. Grimm informed Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott that she would need to "make a call on this ASAP."

Walcott responded about seven minutes later, indicating Mayor Michael Bloomberg approved the cut.

"Just talked to MRB again and he was fine," the e-mail read.

Ms. Grimm appeared to listen intently to questions throughout the trial yesterday, but she didn't have many answers. At times, she was even argumentative.

She said she did not know why the variances granting school bus service to Staten Island's seventh- and eighth-graders were first put into place 42 years ago, or what public transportation options were available back then or today.

"Public transportation varies across the City of New York," she said. "I'm sure it's not the same as it is in Midtown Manhattan. But neither is it in Little Neck or Douglaston, Queens."

It could take Island judge up to a month to render a decision on variances

Advance file photoAfter the questioning of all witnesses ended, state Supreme Court Justice John Fusco gave the attorneys until Oct. 15 to exchange any necessary documents, and until Oct. 22 to answer questions from one another.

See how borough's elementary and middle schools performed

Staten Island Advance/Hilton FloresSchools Chancellor Joel Klein speaks during a panel on educational policy at the Petrides Educational Complex on Sept. 15.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The usual rejoicing among Staten Island's educators was subdued today when the city released a grim set of report card grades for the borough's elementary and middle schools.

About 87 percent of schools saw their grades drop, largely because state test scores plummeted across the Island after the state reconfigured the way it graded the tests to reflect harsher standards.

One school -- PS 46 in South Beach -- even received a D. According to officials, schools that get a D or an F could be shut down or face leadership changes.

Principal Andrea Maffeo did not return messages requesting comment.

Out of 55 Staten Island schools that received grades for the 2009-10 school year, 30 were hit with a C, 20 received a B and 4 earned an A. No local school saw an improvement from the 2008-09 school year to the 2009-10 school year.

In the 2008-09 school year, all of the borough's elementary schools received As and Bs.

Expecting the marks to be harsher this year, the city tried to soften the blow by adjusting the way it doled out the grades.

Whereas before there was no limit on how many schools could earn As or Bs, this time around it was decided in advance that only 25 percent of schools across the city could be given As, 35 percent would receive Bs, 35 percent would receive Cs, 3 percent Ds and 1 percent Fs.

Citywide, about 65 percent of schools saw their grades drop, while 26 percent earned the same grade.

Just seven schools on Staten Island maintained their grades. The staff at one of them, PS 21 in Elm Park, analyzed students' strengths and weaknesses and sought to include parents by inviting them to observe classes and work on assignments with their children. It was a challenge, the school said, since many of the children come from the burgeoning immigrant community.

"The teachers here really worked hard," said Principal Gina Moreno. "They got together as a team and put all their time and effort into reaching the parents."

There were three aspects to determining a school's grade. Sixty percent of the grade relied upon student progress -- how a student did on their tests compared to the previous year. Another 25 percent relied on student performance -- how high students scored on their state tests. Fifteen percent depended on the school environment, which was judged through surveys taken by parents, students and teachers.

United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, a Staten Islander, called the process "flawed" for relying "almost completely on standardized test scores."

For the first time this year, the DOE gave grades to District 75 schools -- which serve students with special needs -- as long as they had 50 students who took the state's standard assessment.

On Staten Island, PS 373 in New Brighton and South Richmond High School in Tottenville earned Bs.

The DOE also gave grades to charter schools, however none were issued on Staten Island.

The Marsh Avenue Expeditionary Learning School also received a grade for the first time, earning a B.

Critics of the progress report card grades said the dramatic fluctuation of grades causes confusion year after year, and that the grades inaccurately reflected school progress.

The principals' union, the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, predicted it will only get worse.

"It's important to bear in mind that as the tests are made more rigorous over the next four years, this volatility could create confusion about which schools are improving," CSA President Ernest Logan said in a statement. "While benchmarks have changed, most schools are continuing to move forward."

Event will be held Oct. 16, 17 at New Dorp

Advance file photoThe high school fair will be held Oct. 16 and Oct. 17 at New Dorp High School.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Students and their parents wishing to learn about high school options on Staten Island are welcome to attend a high school fair at New Dorp High School.

The fair, which will be held Oct. 16 and Oct. 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., will aim to answer questions about the admissions process, and families may obtain a copy of the high school directory to aid them in the decision-making process. Families may also meet with representatives from the Public Schools Athletic League.

Fairs will be held in every borough on the same day to address questions about local schools. Individual schools will hold open houses for interested students in the weeks following the fair.

Eighth- and ninth-grade students applying to high school this year are encouraged to attend, as are seventh graders interested in learning about the process.

Workshops about the admissions process will also be held on Oct. 26 at the Michael J. Petrides School, Sunnyside, and Nov. 4 at Barnes Intermediate School, Great Kills. Both begin at 6:30 p.m.

Students interested in auditioning for LaGuardia High School of Music & Art or taking the Specialized High School Admissions Test, to qualify for one of eight specialized schools across the city -- including Staten Island Technical High School -- should see their guidance counselors before Oct. 6.

High School applications will be available in mid-October and are due back to guidance counselors by Dec. 3.

For more information, visit the city Department of Education's website at www.nyc.gov/schools/enrollment.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Borough President James Molinaro has selected the director of educational services at the Eden II School for Autistic Children as his new representative on the District 31 Community Education Council (CEC). Nancy Ferrer, an Oakwood resident, will attend her first CEC meeting in November. She'll be replacing Joe Pancila, who, according to a Molinaro spokeswoman, moved...

NEW YORK -- Do public school teachers get tenure just by breathing? It's a claim made by a charter school leader in the education documentary "Waiting for Superman," which places much of the blame for bad schools nationwide on union rules that protect incompetent teachers. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on national television last week that he would overhaul the...

NEW YORK -- Do public school teachers get tenure just by breathing?

It's a claim made by a charter school leader in the education documentary "Waiting for Superman," which places much of the blame for bad schools nationwide on union rules that protect incompetent teachers.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on national television last week that he would overhaul the way city teachers are granted tenure, linking their advancement to improving student test scores.

Associated PressMayor Bloomberg wants to end automatic tenure for teachers in public schools.

"Just as we are raising the bar for our students through higher standards, we must also raise the bar for our teaches and principals -- and we are," Bloomberg said.

But city teachers say that if bad teachers have won tenure protection it's the fault of the administrators who gave it to them.

"We don't make that decision. Whoever the principal is makes that decision," said LezAnne Edmond, a Manhattan high school teacher with 15 years of experience.

Teacher tenure has its roots in academic tenure, which was intended to protect academic freedom; once granted, professors are rarely fired. Tenure rules for K-12 teachers vary from state to state, with some operating more like universities and others that offer no stronger protection than job security laws that prevent people from being fired without cause.

Several states including California, Florida and Colorado have passed or proposed legislation to change tenure laws in hopes of securing education funding under President Barack Obama's "Race to the Top" program.

New York City teachers can win tenure after three years. Once they are granted tenure they cannot be fired without an administrative hearing. What the teachers union calls due process, Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein call a system that has protected incompetence.

The issue gained prominence with the Sept. 24 release of "Waiting for Superman," opening to wider release on Friday. The documentary from "An Inconvenient Truth" director Davis Guggenheim suggests that kids receive a superior education in charter schools without unions.

NBC's Sept. 27-28 education summit covered much of the same ground. Bloomberg used a 15-minute MSNBC segment to announce a tenure crackdown.

"We'll do more to support teachers and reward great teaching, and that includes ending tenure as we know it," he said. Bloomberg said principals must start denying tenure unless their students have made two years of progress on state tests.

Michael Mulgrew, the president of the United Federation of Teachers, responded that principals can already deny tenure "for any reason" and that teachers "would welcome an objective tenure-granting process based on agreed-upon standards."

But the union has opposed using state test scores -- the city's preferred benchmark -- to measure teacher performance.

City Department of Education spokeswoman Natalie Ravitz said the union is being disingenuous.

"On one hand, they seem to be blaming principals for too many teachers getting tenure," she said in an e-mail. "On the other hand, they don't want principals to take into account student performance when making tenure decisions."

This year, 3.7 percent of teachers who reached the end of their three-year probationary period were denied tenure, up from 2.3 percent the year before. Another 7.2 percent saw their probation extended by a year.

Ernest Logan, president of the union representing New York City principals, said his members take student achievement into account.

"I don't think people are just granting people tenure because they've been there three years," Logan said.

Veteran city teachers say they need tenure for job security and to protect the First Amendment rights it was designed to safeguard.

"I need tenure to speak out," said Arthur Goldstein, a union chapter leader at Francis Lewis High School in Queens.

Goldstein said he has complained publicly about overcrowding and other issues.

"I'm standing up for the kids of Francis Lewis High School and I absolutely need tenure," he said.

Katharine Dawson, who retired last summer after 12 years as a city schoolteacher, said tenure "protects you from favoritism, it protects you from all kinds of things."

Asked about tenure protecting bad teachers, she said, "Maybe there's two bad teachers per school. Is it worth throwing the baby out with the bathwater?"

One teacher whom Bloomberg would like to throw out is Melissa Petro, whose essay about using Craigslist to sell herself as a prostitute was published in the Huffington Post on Sept. 7, the same day she was awarded tenure by the principal of her Bronx elementary school.

Bloomberg demanded that Petro be pulled from the classroom, but she has tenure and cannot be fired without due process. She has been assigned to an office job pending an investigation. A phone number for Petro could not be found.

Report cards issued by city reflect consistency of achievement STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Most of the borough's high schools held on to the progress they have made in recent years, and that was reflected in the fourth round of city report card grades, distributed yesterday.

End 'game of chicken' for kids' sake, he urges

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The best news for the city's public schools? That would be an attitude adjustment on the part of the teachers' union -- or so says the man in charge of shaking up the school system.

In an Advance editorial board meeting, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said the United Federation of Teachers "too often" engages in "a game of chicken" by pushing back against his policy proposals, in effect slowing progress on school reforms.

"I think the union's now on a strong anti-accountability kick, and I think that's very, very harmful," Klein said. "If we don't continue to develop a deep sense of accountability in the system, then I think we could have deep problems."

Most recently, Klein was referring to controversial ratings the city Department of Education wants to release on teacher effectiveness, a plan that was met with a lawsuit from the union, which claims that errors in the formulas used to calculate the ratings could inappropriately harm teachers' reputations.

Staten Island Advance/Irving SilversteinSchools Chancellor Joel Klein visits the Advance office in Grasmere.

Another measure Klein has sought to put in place is changing the "last in, first out" approach to layoffs, in which teachers with the least experience would be axed first. He also wants to regulate how long hundreds of laid-off teachers can continue to earn their full salaries while waiting in the Absent Teacher Reserve Pool for a new job.

Some of those initiatives would require approval from the state, and Klein is hoping that Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo will help convince the union to loosen up.

"They've got to be moved," he said. "I mean, at some point, I think when Cuomo looks at what he's really dealing with up there, I think they're going to have to sit down and really address these things."

He also said the union has been unwilling to take minor pay cuts that would help the DOE prevent cuts to the classroom, despite multiple solutions he has proposed. The alternatives -- teacher layoffs -- would have "a deleterious impact on the system."

"There was a song called 'The Glory of Love,'" he said, referencing the evergreen penned in 1936 by Billy Hill. "'You've got to win a little, lose a little, give a little, take a little, and let your poor heart break a little. That's the story of, that's the glory of love.' It's also the glory and story of labor management relations in public school education."

UFT President Michael Mulgrew said if Klein wants to get involved in give-and-take, he should talk to him directly.

"Joel Klein has never, ever, ever come to a negotiation session with the United Federation of Teachers," he said. "If he was actually interested in it, maybe he should have shown up."

As far as the initiatives, Mulgrew said the ATR pool was an initiative created -- and then botched -- by the DOE. He also said there's evidence that changing the last-in, first-out policy of laying off teachers could pave the way for principals to lay off teachers they simply don't like.

He said rather than get involved, Klein finds ways to blame others when progress is slow. When myriad students failed because their test scores had plummeted, he said Klein blamed the state for creating flawed tests.

"Joel Klein has continually proven by his actions that there should be a subtitle under his plaque that says Joel 'It's Never My Fault' Klein," Mulgrew said.

Mulgrew said he wishes Klein would spend more time seeking input from families who want to get involved in their children's education.

"After eight years, I would hope that he would learn to go out and listen to the community and the parents, because it's something he does not do much of," he said.

During the editorial board meeting, which covered a wide range of topics, Klein acknowledged that community outreach is one area in which he has faltered.

"It's a big city but a very diverse city, and how you spend more time with people trying to explain what you're doing, hearing their concerns, et cetera -- I think I could have done more of that," he said.

Also addressed at the meeting were Klein's plans to: Integrate technology into education; improve college readiness at the high school level; expand student progress to include more than state test scores; reduce costs related to special education, and maintain initiatives in tough budgetary times.

When asked how the next round of budget cuts might affect schools, Klein cited the possibility of teacher layoffs, increased class sizes and additional school bus cuts.

"It's bad and it's going to get worse," he said.

St. Margaret Mary, St. Sylvester, St. Roch, St. Mary's schools are on Reconfiguration Committee's list

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Four Catholic elementary schools on Staten Island are among 32 in New York identified as at-risk of losing financial aid from the New York Archdiocese.

St. Margaret Mary School, Midland Beach; St. Sylvester School, Concord; St. Roch School, Port Richmond; and St. Mary's School, Rosebank were all on the list released this afternoon by the Archdiocesan Reconfiguration Committee. The entity, which was charged with evaluating the long-term viability of parish and archdiocesan schools, made its recommendations "to assure a vibrant future for the school system."

Advance file photoSt. Mary School is among four Staten Island Catholic schools that are at risk of losing funding from the New York Archdiocese.

A carefully worded statement from the Archdiocese made no specific mention of school closings, but that fate appears to await any school that is unable to balance its books independently.

"Declining enrollment and rising tuition are key challenges facing those schools that have been identified as 'at-risk,'" said Dr. Timothy J. McNiff, superintendent of schools "These under-enrolled schools require significant financial support from the archdiocese, which cannot be sustained indefinitely. We need to allocate our resources where they can do the most good, and support schools that can sustain themselves over time."

The committee was made up of pastors, principals, parents and representatives of the archdiocese. Under guidelines laid out last month in Pathways to Excellence -- the strategic plan for Catholic schools developed to assure a vibrant future for the school system -- they looked at a number of factors, including enrollment trends, financial subsidies, infrastructure, test scores, future demographics, and ability of students to attend a nearby school.

"Maintaining access to a quality Catholic school for every family in the archdiocese is a top priority in the reconfiguration process," McNiff added. "The archdiocese is committed to providing pastoral support and guidance to every family personally affected by the process."

Of the 32 schools, 31 are elementary schools and one is a high school in the Bronx. If the recommendation is implemented, the schools would have their archdiocesan subsidy eliminated or reduced significantly.

Advance file photoSt. Roch School in Port Richmond may lose significant funding if a recommendation from an Archdiocesan committee is implemented.

Besides the Staten Island schools on the list, five are located in Manhattan, six in the Bronx, 10 in Westchester and Putnam counties and 7 in Rockland, Sullivan, Orange, Dutchess and Ulster counties. These schools have seen a decline in enrollment of 34 percent over the past five years.

The pastors and principals of the "at-risk" schools will be invited to meet with members of the committee to discuss the combination of factors that led to their schools being included on the list.

After those meetings, the committee will make final recommendations to the Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who will make a final decision in January.

"Catholic schools are here to stay, but, it is clear that we need to take a hard look at some of our schools and our resources," Dolan said. "The work of this committee has made it possible for us to begin to make the difficult, but necessary, decisions that will enable our school system to thrive and grow." 

Other schools in danger are: St. Joseph of the Holy Family, All Saints, Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of Sorrows and Good Shepherd schools in Manhattan; St. Augustine, St. John Vianney, St. Martin of Tours, St. Dominic, St. Anthony-St. Frances schools and St. Pius V Girls High School in the Bronx; St. Ann in Ossining; St. Anthony of Padua in West Harrison; Christ the King in Yonkers;  St. Bartholomew in Yonkers; St.Mary in Yonkers; St. Joseph in Croton Falls; St. John the Evangelist in Mahopac; Sacred Heart School for the Arts in Mount Vernon; Sts. Peter and Paul in Mount Vernon; Holy Name of Jesus in Valhalla; Sacred Heart in Highland Falls; St. Thomas of Canterbury in Cornwall-on-Hudson; St. Joseph in New Windsor; St. Peter in Poughkeepsie; St. Joseph in Middletown; St. Joseph in Kingston and St. Augustine in Highland.

NEW YORK -- Schools Chancellor Joel Klein is stepping down from his post in the Bloomberg administration, according to a published report. Citing multiple sources, NBC is reporting that Klein's resignation could come as soon as today. City Hall spokespeople would neither confirm or deny the rumors. Klein was appointed to the post by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2002. He...

NEW YORK -- Schools Chancellor Joel Klein is stepping down from his post in the Bloomberg administration, according to a published report.

Advance file photoSchools Chancellor Joel I. Klein may be leaving his post.

Citing multiple sources, NBC is reporting that Klein's resignation could come as soon as today.

City Hall spokespeople would neither confirm or deny the rumors.

Klein was appointed to the post by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2002. He is reportedly seeking a job outside the field of education.

Bloomberg is already looking for a replacement, sources told NBC.

In a story published today, Klein said the United Federation of Teachers plays the role of obstructionist.

NEW YORK -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's longtime schools chancellor is stepping down after more than eight years of running the nation's largest school system. Joel Klein is among Bloomberg's longest-serving commissioners. He has overseen the city's 1.1 million-pupil school system since 2002. When Bloomberg entered City Hall, the city's schools were not under mayoral control. The...

NEW YORK -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's longtime schools chancellor is stepping down after more than eight years of running the nation's largest school system.

Staten Island Advance/Irving SilversteinSchools Chancellor Joel Klein is leaving his post.

Joel Klein is among Bloomberg's longest-serving commissioners. He has overseen the city's 1.1 million-pupil school system since 2002.

When Bloomberg entered City Hall, the city's schools were not under mayoral control. The mayor fought for and won that right from the state Legislature, and had the power renewed last year.

Under Klein's tenure, the city school system ended the decades-old controversial practice of "rubber rooms" for misbehaving teachers and stopped the practice of automatically sending failing students onto the next grade. The city also began grading schools.

Bloomberg appointed Cathleen P. Black, who spent 15 years with Hearst Magazines, as the next chancellor.

In a story published today, Klein said the United Federation of Teachers plays the role of obstructionist.

She will oversee the city's 1.1 million-student school system while he will become an executive vice president at News Corp.

NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg named a top publishing executive to head the nation's largest school system today after announcing that New York City's longterm chancellor was stepping down.

Bloomberg said Hearst Magazines chairwoman Cathie Black would replace Joel Klein, who has overseen the city's 1.1 million-student school system since 2002.

Associated PressOutgoing Chancellor of New York City Public Schools Joel Klein, left, speaks while the new Chancellor Cathie Black looks on during a news conference at City Hall today.

Klein said he was leaving to become an executive vice president at News Corp. The mayor said Klein had been looking to leave for a while but stayed until a replacement had been found.

Black, a Chicago native who spent eight years at USA Today as president, publisher, board member and Gannett Co. executive vice president, becomes the city's first female schools chancellor.

She comes to the job without experience as an educator, which was among the chief complaints of Klein's critics.

Before Klein joined the Bloomberg administration, he was with the media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG. Previously, he was an assistant attorney general in the Clinton administration. He headed the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust division for nearly four years, where his work included launching the case to break up Microsoft Corp.

At a City Hall news conference today after Black's appointment was announced, she said she had had "limited exposure to unions" in her previous jobs. Her children attended private boarding school in Connecticut.

"I promise you that we will continue the mission of improving the school experience for our children so that they too will be prepared to participate fully in our global community," Black said.

She also wrote the book "Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life)."

In a story published today, Klein said the United Federation of Teachers plays the role of obstructionist.

St. Margaret Mary, St. Sylvester, St. Roch and St. Mary 'at risk'

By AMISHA PADNANI and DIANE LORE

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Four Catholic grade schools on Staten Island are facing the specter of closure if a solution can't be found to the financial strain they are placing on the Archdiocese of New York.

St. Margaret Mary School, Midland Beach; St. Sylvester School, Concord; St. Roch School, Port Richmond, and St. Mary School, Rosebank, are among 32 schools -- the others in Manhattan, the Bronx and counties upstate -- identified as "at-risk" of losing their archdiocesan subsidies. Without the funds, it's uncertain how the schools will survive.

In the coming months, each school must develop a written proposal on how it plans to maintain self-sustaining solvency. The final decisions are to be made in January.

The potential cost savings to the archdiocese would be about $12 million, of which $1.3 million was spent on the four Staten Island schools this year.

Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-HammelSt. Mary School in Rosebank, one of the four schools flagged as a burden on the archdiocese, has kept up enrollment but operates in an aging facility.

"It's heartbreaking," said Principal Rita Vallebuona, as she was leaving St. Margaret Mary School yesterday afternoon. "We're just finding this out ourselves. We don't have any comments right now, only prayers."

Yesterday's long-awaited announcement was part of a larger initiative called Pathways to Excellence, a strategic plan the Catholic schools developed in recent years that the archdiocese said is intended to assure a vibrant future for the school system.

As part of the plan, Archbishop Timothy Dolan has discussed the possibility of centralizing the financing of schools, so that all proceeds will go into a common fund shared by all schools under the jurisdiction of the archdiocese.

In deciding which schools should be considered at-risk, the archdiocese started a reconfiguration committee, comprising pastors, principals, parents and representatives of the archdiocese. The group evaluated enrollment trends, financial subsidies, infrastructure, test scores, demographic trends and the proximity of other parochial schools.

"Declining enrollment and rising tuition are key challenges facing those schools that have been identified as 'at-risk,'" said Dr. Timothy J. McNiff, superintendent of schools. "These under-enrolled schools require significant financial support from the archdiocese, which cannot be sustained indefinitely. We need to allocate our resources where they can do the most good, and support schools that can sustain themselves over time."

The 32 schools on the list -- five of them in Manhattan and six in the Bronx -- have seen a 34 percent decline in enrollment over the past five years. There are 4,451 students at those schools, out of 53,281 at archdiocese schools across the state. Just one school on the list is a high school.

On the Island, St. Sylvester is at 31 percent capacity, with 120 students; St. Roch is at 35 percent capacity, with 96 students; St. Mary is at 90 percent capacity, with 224 students, and St. Margaret Mary is at 30 percent capacity, with 74 students.

Ms. Vallebuona, the principal at St. Margaret Mary, said the school dates to 1927, but the present facility was built only in 2001. She said she will work hard to see that the school remains open.

"It's just the beginning, so we're not sure what will happen," she said. "It's a good school. It's a wonderful school. We love the children and we wish the best for everybody."

At St. Mary, news was still spreading. Those familiar with the borough's parochial-school landscape said that as one of the oldest Catholic elementary schools in the borough, its inclusion on the list likely owes to infrastructure problems; they speculated that St. Mary and St. Sylvester could be merged with Holy Rosary, South Beach.

"That's terrible. I think I'm going to have a heart attack," said Yokasta Irving, an Arlington resident whose 8-year-old son attends the school. Her 14-year-old son graduated in June. "We're going to have to fight for it. Hopefully, it won't happen."

At St. Roch School in Port Richmond, faculty, staff, parents and alumni were proceeding with plans to celebrate the school's 50th anniversary Sunday with a luncheon in the Hilton Garden Inn, Bloomfield, that's expected to draw close to 400 people and will double as a fundraiser.

School families were notified by letter yesterday.

Sister Mary Patricia Lardieri, the principal, would not speculate on the school's future. "We're 'at risk,' so we're going to do what we can," she said. For the moment, she said, she is focused on the luncheon -- and the positive. "We've put in 50 good years, and that is something to celebrate and be proud of."

Monsignor James Dorney, co-vicar of Staten Island and pastor of St. Peter's R.C. Church, New Brighton, said "each school was asked some time ago to develop a business plan detailing how it could remain financially independent."

Even though each of the four schools would likely have an opportunity to "present its case" to the archdiocese, he said he expects "some closures and some consolidations."

 With Ikea Gibson

By PETER N. SPENCER and AMISHA PADNANI STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After eight years at the helm of the country's largest school system, Chancellor Joel Klein said yesterday he's stepping down to work for one of the country's largest media corporations. And a magazine executive with no education experience is taking his place. The moves, announced at a press...

By PETER N. SPENCER and AMISHA PADNANI

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After eight years at the helm of the country's largest school system, Chancellor Joel Klein said yesterday he's stepping down to work for one of the country's largest media corporations.

And a magazine executive with no education experience is taking his place.

The moves, announced at a press conference in City Hall, surprised many familiar with the city Department of Education, and calls into question the role the schools chancellor will play in the final three years of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration.

Bloomberg tapped Hearst Magazines chairwoman Cathie Black to replace Klein, who has overseen the city's 1.1 million-student school system since 2002.

Klein said he's leaving the $250,000-per-year job to become an executive vice president at News Corp., where he will be an adviser on opportunities for investment in digital initiatives in the education market, according to reports from the company's newspapers.

Ed ReedCathie Black, who succeeds Joel Klein, is a Hearst executive with no experience of the public schools.

The mayor said Klein had been looking to leave for a while, but stayed until a replacement was found.

Ms. Black, a Chicago native who lives in Manhattan, becomes the city's first female schools chancellor. She comes to the job without experience as an educator -- the respect in which Klein was most lacking, according to his critics -- and as a parent with no experience of the public schools. Mrs. Black said her two sons and a daughter attended a boarding school in Connecticut.

Bloomberg, who holds to the philosophy that success in business is a guarantor of similar achievements in public service, called Ms. Black a "superstar manager."

"There is no one who knows more about the skills our children will need to succeed in the 21st-century economy," Bloomberg said during the press conference.

Ms. Black was educated in Catholic schools and holds a degree from Trinity College, Washington, D.C. She spent eight years at USA Today as president, publisher, board member and Gannett Co. executive vice president, and has frequently been listed in Fortune magazine's "50 Most Powerful Women in Business."

"I promise you that we will continue the mission of improving the school experience for our children so that they, too, will be prepared to participate fully in our global community," she told reporters.

The hiring of Ms. Black sends a clear message that the chancellor of city schools "first and foremost is a managerial post," said Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore), who sits on the City Council's Education Committee. The state Legislature has given Bloomberg control over the schools since he took office in 2002.

"Clearly, she has a lot of work to do to convince parents she feels their pain and knows the system," Ignizio said.

As is the case with many Staten Island officials, Ignizio has clashed with Klein and his DOE managers. He is currently suing the DOE over their decision to cut busing for Island seventh- and eighth-graders. He believes Klein's legacy will be mixed, though a net positive.

"He will be remembered as two different chancellors: One who clearly had the mayor's support, and another who often disagreed with parents," he said.

City Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore), who also sits on the Education Committee, expressed high hopes for Ms. Black, given her credentials.

"Ms. Black's leadership background and experience handling budgets are just two of the major assets she brings to the position," she said.

Those in the Island's education realm had mixed reviews about yesterday's decision, as well: Some were saddened, others were poised for celebration.

New Dorp High School Principal Deirdre DeAngelis said she sent an e-mail to Klein as soon as she heard the news to thank him for inspiring and motivating her to be a better leader.

"He has really seen the turnaround and the work that we've done at New Dorp," she said. "He pushed us not to look at the way teachers were teaching but at the way students were learning. We were never on the closing list when we really could have been."

She added that he could have left after four years but chose to stick it out to recognize his own strengths and weaknesses and determine how to keep improving the system.

"I admire him, I really do," Ms. DeAngelis said. "I know you can't do these kinds of jobs forever. They're exhausting. But there's something to be said for consistency and seeing things through."

Others were glad to see Klein's back.

"He was never really loved by the parents here anyway," said Emil Pietromonaco, the Staten Island representative of the United Federation of Teachers. "I don't think he's a bad guy, but he was the wrong guy."

Still, Pietromonaco was uncertain whether Ms. Black was the right choice, considering her lack of background in education -- or any familiarity with the city's public school system, for that matter.

"I mean, he's the mayor, he gets to pick," Pietromonaco said. "If he wants a businessperson first and an education person second -- I don't think it's the best -- but it's his choice."

Tobacco, Malliotakis seek tuition tax credit and passage of MTA payroll tax reimbursement

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island lawmakers are calling upon the state to take action to prevent 32 Catholic schools across the city -- four of which are on Staten Island -- from facing closure.

Advance file photoAssemblyman Lou Tobacco

Assemblyman Lou Tobacco (R-South Shore) and Assemblywoman-elect Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) are calling on the state to: Reimburse schools for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll tax, a move that has already been approved by the Assembly but is awaiting action in the Senate; provide refunds to private and Catholic schools for the Comprehensive Attendance Policy reimbursement, and create a tuition tax credit.

Their call for action follows Tuesday's announcement by the New York Archdiocese that it is considering withdrawing financial support to 32 schools across the state. The Island schools are St. Margaret Mary School, Midland Beach; St. Sylvester School, Concord; St. Roch School, Port Richmond, and St. Mary School, Rosebank.

"At the very least, Catholic and private schools will be forced to eliminate teacher positions and increase tuition costs if the Legislature does not take action to protect the state's non-public schools," Tobacco said. "Many of these schools will be forced to close their doors for good -- a great loss to our communities and educational system."

Staten Island Advance/Anthony DePrimoAssemblywoman-elect Nicole Malliotakis

Ms. Malliotakis and Tobacco said they are hopeful the legislature will take action when it reconvenes in January or that it will call a special session.

The archdiocese said it encourages any of the 32 schools that want to remain open to submit a proposal in the coming weeks explaining how they can be self-sustaining, which could include proposals to increase enrollment.

Final decisions on which schools will be closed will be made in January.

"With education playing an important role in today's economy, lawmakers must work together to both reduce the tax burden on these schools, and provide assistance to help these institutions to not only stay open, but grow," Ms. Malliotakis said.