Mayor de Blasio’s plan to scrap admissions tests in New York’s eight prestigious public high schools has come under fire from Grace Meng.
As reported by the New York Post, Grace Meng has slammed Mayor De Blasio for proposing the elimination of admission tests that will reduce the number of Asian American students.
Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng is New York’s top Asian-American elected official and is angered that Blasio did not seek the input from the Asian American community.
“The mayor and chancellor failed to convene a meeting of all relevant stakeholders, including the City’s AAPI [Asian American and Pacific Islanders] elected officials, before they unveiled a proposal that seeks to dismantle how the City’s most successful high schools operate,” said Meng.
“To exclude impacted communities from such discussions, or to pit them against one another, is not leadership.”
Over 60% of students in the eight specialised high schools are Asian. Black and Latino students account for 70% of those in public school systems but under 10% are represented in specialised high schools.
“Far too many of our City’s elementary and middle school students are being left behind,” Meng said in a statement. “As the mother of two young children who attend New York City public schools, I have witnessed these problems firsthand.
“The mayor’s decision to distract from the harsh realities of the New York City school system by proposing these changes is not only wrong, it is shortsighted.”
Although Meng agreed diversity in specialised schools is important, she stated that de Blasio’s method was the wrong way to go about it. “Instead of focusing on comprehensive reform in one effort, the mayor’s legislative push concerning how eight well-performing schools operate isn’t a serious policy proposal; it’s a headline,” she said.
Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza also came under criticism from Meng after he said, “I just don’t buy into the narrative that any one ethnic group owns admission to these schools.”
In response, Meng said, “I am insulted, and these comments are false. Asian Americans aren’t trying to own admission to these schools.”
