With testing season tomorrow, principals and superintendents in New York expect that the number of families opting out of state-administered tests will grow. This year’s opt-out debate is yet another chapter in the disagreement between parents and educators who believe that the tests are time-consuming, onerous, and inappropriate for measuring student and teacher performance, and those that believe they provide valuable data. (Wall Street Journal)
Officials from several police unions met with Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark in an attempt to avoid the contentious relationship the police had with her predecessor, Robert Johnson. The meetings, between Ms. Clark and members of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, the Detectives’ Endowment Association and the Captains Endowment Association, were all characterized as friendly and productive. (New York Post)
The state budget announced late last week has relieved some of the pressure put on Mayor Bill de Blasio by decisions made in Albany, such as the withdrawal of state funds from the budget for CUNY and for the construction of the Second Avenue Subway line. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has butted heads with Mr. de Blasio, gave the city cause for celebration with his championing of a metro-area minimum wage of $15/hr, a proposal initially pushed for by Mr. de Blasio. (Observer)
For the 400,000 weekday riders of the L train, those commuting within Manhattan might not escape the train’s potential 2018 shutdown for maintenance of its East River Tunnel. The L does not merge with any other Manhattan line, meaning that if the tunnel were to be fully closed, it would be stranded in Manhattan and cut off from its maintenance yard in East New York. MTA officials have been considering various plans for the necessary repairs, including a full shutdown for 18 months, or reduced service for longer. (Wall Street Journal)
The federal government has warned landlords that instituting blanket bans on tenants with criminal convictions is illegal. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is reinterpreting the Fair Housing Act to indicate that rejecting a potential tenant offhand due to a criminal record without taking into account the context or other circumstances is discriminatory. This kind of rejection has been used by landlords in New York City, according to several lawsuits. (New York Times)
