Queens lawmaker loudly opposes DOE reforms

Posted by Philissa at 10:58 AM

Last week, when Chancellor Klein held a press conference to promote the performance bonuses going to schools with top progress report grades, he got a surprise when Assemblyman Mark Weprin, who represents Eastern Queens, where the conference was held, delivered a diatribe against the DOE's school grading system.

“Our schools have turned — I know the chancellor is standing here, but — to Stanley Kaplan courses in a lot of ways,” Weprin said, the Times reported. His impression was not dashed by the PS 46 student who said his favorite thing about his school is that "they help us get ready for the state ELA test.”

I'm surprised that Chancellor Klein was willing to turn over the microphone to Weprin, who has made his objections to recent reforms known for a while. In fact, Weprin's withering testimony last month at the City Council hearing about the progress reports, which you can read in full over at NYC Public School Parents, contained the exact same line the Times quoted. Perhaps if DOE officials had stuck around after their testimony was over, they could have better anticipated what Weprin would have to say.