by Rachel Monahan, Daily News
The city cut a deal to spend $10 million on a program for extra tutoring after months of pressure from parents and advocacy groups, sources told the Daily News.
Facing mounting opposition over his controversial pick for chancellor in the fall, the city reluctantly agreed to spend the money, the sources said.
For several months last fall, city Education Department officials said principals were responsible for providing services for the 100,000 more students who failed state tests last year – with no additional resources.
Mayor Bloomberg yesterday, though, announced the city would fund extra tutoring at the 532 schools where two-thirds of kids failed the exams last year.
Bloomberg attributed the change in policy to the “new chancellor.”
“We’re constantly trying to come up with new things,” he added, declining to identify where the money was coming from out of the city budget.
The mayor’s decision earned praise from Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, who along with the advocacy group Coalition for Educational Justice championed the issue.
“When we raise the bar on student performance we cannot let kids who need extra help slip through the cracks. Today the City is living up to that responsibility,” de Blasio said.
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