Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Holds Press Availability After Visiting Middle School Enrichment Programs at I.S. 318

July 14, 2014

Video available here: https://youtu.be/Yl7Q_Dg4EM4

Mayor Bill de Blasio: The dancers behind me, I got to watch them practicing. They were working very, very hard. Very disciplined – difficult stuff, ballet. And they were doing a great job, so I think we should all be very proud of them. Let’s give them all a round of applause.

[Applause]

Well it’s a great pleasure to be here. IS 318 is already legendary for a lot of reasons. One of course is the world-renowned – literally world renowned – chess program celebrated in the acclaimed documentary film “Brooklyn Castle”. But another reason it deserves a lot of credit is because there’s been an incredible focus here on summer enrichment. Over 400 kids are in summer enrichment programs this summer. Summer school is one thing, and summer school is important for kids who need summer school, but summer enrichment is kids who are getting more in the summer, who are deepening their knowledge, deepening their abilities, keeping that consistency from one school year to another. It makes a huge impact on kids to have that ability to keep learning over the summer, fresh and focused.

And the three groups I saw today, the common thread between them was an amazing level of focus and determination in each of them. Bill Chong why aren’t you standing next to be? And the principal, where’s the principal? Come stand next to me please. One on each side, there we go. [Inaudible] but I just want to say the common thread was the incredible amount of determination in each of these programs. Do we have any of the young people from the chess program here? Chess, where are you? Yes, right back there. And Band? Who’s here from band?

So each of them, a lot of focus. Great work being done by the teachers and the young aides who are helping them. But you can tell, you’ll walk in the room and immediately you can see the seriousness, the purposefulness. And this is in July. So imagine what it means if these young people are applying themselves in this fashion in July, what it will mean for their strong start for the new school year in September. And as we always say about after-school programs, the child who is in this building safe and sound and learning, is not out in the streets or anywhere in harm’s way. They’re safe, they’re being supported and they’re learning. Every parent knows that’s a huge blessing. The administration is very devoted to the summer enrichment programs, and they will follow right through with our after-school programs in the fall. I want to thank Bill Chong, our commissioner for the Department of Youth and Community Development, for his extraordinary efforts to bring these summer programs and the after-school programs in the fall to fruition. He’s  been working nonstop and doing a great, great job. I want to thank the principal, Principal Leander Windley for running this wonderful school. It’s a beautiful school. It’s clean, it’s orderly, there’s a lot of focus, there’s a lot of purposefulness, and that comes from the top. So we thank you for your leadership. We thank your Assistant Principal John Galvin. We thank Jim O’Neill, the president of the Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation that supports so much of this work. And we appreciate again all of the young people who are putting so much of themselves into the things that they care about and they’re learning so intensely.

Now, we are thrilled that there’s been such a great response to this summer enrichment program. Let me show you [inaudible] So, you’ll see the red dot, but there’s also a green and a yellow dot. There are three different types of summer enrichment programs, but what you can see clearly is – all over the five boroughs, you have available summer enrichment seats. They’re going very, very fast, and the central message today to parents is, if you want your kids to experience what these kids are experiencing, the incredible programs like dance and band and chess – what we saw with the other band on the Lower East Side, the science programs – all of these different programs available to kids this summer. But seats are limited and they’re going fast. Parents, you need to apply now so that your kids can have this opportunity. The summer programs will run through the end of August, August 29. They started last week and they’ll go all the way to August 29. I want to emphasize that we know that everybody’s summer schedule is different. Some families go away for a period of time, some kids go to summer school. All sorts of things affect each family’s schedule. But young people can connect with the summer enrichment efforts at any point along the way. If the family went away for a few weeks, they can come back and join the summer enrichment. If they went to summer school, they can come right out of summer school and go into summer enrichment. Seats will be available, but parents have to act fast to sign up their children.

Middle school kids are the target here. Middle school kids deserve more support. They deserve better options. It is a crucial time in a young person’s life, and we want to reinforce the middle school level. That’s why we’ve made this big commitment to summer enrichment, and why we made the big commitment to after-school in the fall. In the middle school level, it’s the make or break time in a kid’s life. We want to encourage their intellectual curiosity. We want to encourage their commitment to their studies. We want to help them find that which [inaudible] motivates them. And that’s why these efforts are so important. It speeds up their development. It helps them realize what they’re good at and deepens their connections to their studies. These kinds of examples – the science classes in the Lower East Side, band, chess, dance here, but there’s other all around the city. New York Harbor Foundation is providing lessons in marine biology. The Urban Arts Partnership has a program in digital media. There’s all sorts of extraordinary, specialized programs for summer enrichments. And they match not only children’s interests, but they match the geography of the city.  So there’s good options all over.

Now this is again part one of what’s going to then segue into our after-school effort [inaudible]. Let me just say something quickly in Spanish, and then we will take on-topic questions, followed by off-topic questions.

Los prográmas de veráno dan a los estudiántes de escuélas intermédias de Nuéva Yórk más oportunidádes de aprendér y crecér en un ambiénte segúro.   La ciudád ofréce una gran variedád de prográmas grátis pára satisfacér los interéses de cáda estudiánte.  Todavía hay cúpo. 

Again, for those who speak English, register your children now while there still are some seats and give them this extraordinary opportunity. For all of the reporters that really got to see these young people today you can tell – I can say this as a parent myself, you’d be instantly proud to have your child working the way these kids are today, with focus and energy and commitment. It’s a good example of what each child has in them if they have the right kind of support. With that, we would like to welcome questions on topic first, and then we’ll go off topic. On topic.

Question: [Inaudible] summer enrichment seats are [inaudible]

Mayor: We’ve got about 23,000 filled. The grand total is 34,000. We’re picking up thousands each day, lately, so we’ve got – right now we’re I think we’re 6,000 or 7,000 above the total [inaudible] last year. So what we’re seeing is the base is picking up of parents signing up their kids. We’re well over last year’s record, and we think we’re well on our way to filling all the seats. And we know that we – again, people coming back from trips, kids coming out of summer school, going right into the enrichment programs. We feel good about [inaudible]

Any other questions on topic? Yes.

Question: There are nearly 10,000 fewer students in summer school this year. Do you think kids are getting [inaudible] and do you think that’s a drawback from the shift away from standardized tests?

Mayor: Well I feel very confident that the way we’re making decisions about summer school – again separate from summer enrichment. But the way we’re making decisions about summer school is now in the hands of a renowned educator, and that’s our chancellor, Carmen Fariña. And she, like me, believes we need to look at both measures when we’re  making any assessment of our young people. And I think the system she’s come up with better represents the needs of our children. So I feel good about the numbers. They’re not that different than the numbers in previous years. This last year had an unusual number, but if you go back several years before, they’re very consistent with those numbers. But most importantly, I like the approach we’re taking, decreasing focus on the value of these [inaudible] measures. So I feel good about where summer school is. Summer enrichment, as a growing component, I think offers a great chance to strengthen [inaudible]. There are some kids who, by definition, who are just going to benefit a lot more they stay continuous in their learning, and not lose those couple months – you know, there is a certain amount of atrophy that happens over the summer, by definition. A lot of kids benefit from the consistency, and that’s what the summer enrichment allows. On topic, going once. On topic.

Question: Mr. Mayor, [inaudible]

Mayor: No we’re on topic. On topic. Nice try. On topic, yes?

Question: Mr. Mayor, you talked about how we need these programs through [inaudible] full September [inaudible] from the state, from the pre-K [inaudible]

Mayor: Yeah, all of the enrichment and after-school programs are from that pot of money we got from the state, part of our original vision for pre-K and after-school. Again, recognizing that pre-K starts the learning process earlier, full-day pre-K for all. After-school stretches out the school day, and in this case, even the school year, by providing summer opportunities. It all comes from that pot of money. We have young people who will participate in summer enrichment but might not after-school, we have someone who might just do after-school during the school year but not summer enrichment, but I guarantee you there will be a number of kids who do both. And for them, they’re going to have a lot more learning time tacked onto the normal school calendar. And I think we’ve seen lots of research that makes clear, if you give kids more time in a constructive setting, they’re going to learn more, they’re going to become stronger. And look, the great thing about these enrichment programs and after-school programs is they’re very serious and yet they have a lot of fun to them as well. All the activities I saw today the kids were having a great time, but they’re learning a lot at the same time. That’s the hallmark of after-school, it gives each child a chance to really figure what they’re good at and what they care about, but at the same time, in after-school there’s always the tutorial element, a homework help element, [inaudible] these kids on task, while giving them that chance to [inaudible]. On topic, yes?

Question: Mr. Mayor, are there any [inaudible] summer enrichment programs [inaudible] evaluations being planned? Have you done some of the paperwork to see how effective they are [inaudible]?

Mayor: Everything is going to be evaluated, glad you asked. Yes. And we have one of the kings of evaluation here. We are going to evaluate the summer enrichment program. We’re going to evaluate the pre-K program. We’re going to evaluate the after-school program constantly. And one of the things we’ve said is that each year you’re going to see evolution. We believe very strongly – for example, when it comes to the pre-K efforts in teacher training – we’ll have constant updates, we’re going to constantly look at which elements of the summer enrichments are the most effective, [inaudible] the same with after-school. So we’re making a very big commitment here, and we want it to constantly improve and we want to see what works and what doesn’t and really [inaudible] to the better [inaudible]. On topic, once. On topic, going twice. We are off topic.

Question: Mr. Mayor, since you both normally or often speak about income inequality, while in Rome, do you want to meet Pope Francis? Are you trying to meet with him? Or [inaudible]?

Mayor: I would be, obviously, tremendously honored to meet the Pope, but my understanding is his schedule has him out of Rome on the day we said we’d be there. I’ve been very clear that I hope he will visit New York City. We sent a formal request through Cardinal Dolan asking for a papal visit, so I’m hopeful that we’ll have a chance for that, perhaps next year. So at this point, there is no meeting scheduled. If anything were to work, we’ll certainly let you guys know. But he has been – I’m glad you asked – because he has been, I think, the number one global voice talking about the challenges of inequality and [inaudible] very different to address inequality all over the world. And I think he has been the ultimate voice [inaudible].

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: No, I think the Pope obviously – I think [inaudible] if rest of us think we’re busy, just think about the Pope and his worldwide constituents. But I think it’s – most of us assumed he would not be available when traveling to Rome. But what I care about most is the opportunity to get him to come here, and we’re going to work very diligently on that.

Question: Another question about this trip. The nine days in Italy, the longest trip – vacation that a mayor’s taken in decades. I’m wondering if you had any concerns or reservations about taking a vacation that long this early in your first term? And I know your aide said [inaudible] if there was an emergency, you would cancel or postpone – would the Long Island Rail Road strike, should that go through, be considered such an emergency and cause you to delay your travels?

Mayor: Well let’s take the first part of the question first. We have an extraordinary team here. And I have great, great confidence in their abilities.  And at any point when I travel, even if I go to another city, I’m in constant touch with our team. I get briefed all the time, I make decisions as needed. You know thankfully, we’re living now in a time of a different kind of technology than used to be available in the past. So I can be in absolutely immediate touch with all the key figures of the administration whenever I needed. First Deputy Mayor Tony Shorris is an exceedingly able, has been in senior positions in government for decades. Commissioner Bratton will be here, Commissioner Nigro of the FDNY will be here, Commissioner Esposito of OEM will be here. The city will be very, very well served. And I will be in constant contact. I think for me, particularly vis-a-vis my family, you know, when you have a family as I do, kids – one kid’s still in high school, one kid’s in college – it’s very important to spend that time together. And that’s the only thing that to me is pretty sacred. It’s also, for us, very important. Our heritage means a lot. And we’re going to both of my grandparents’ hometowns. That’s something I’ve been wanting to do again very, very much. And I think it’ll be a very important family time, but I also would say – we obviously have various official events we’ll be doing. And for many, many New Yorkers of Italian heritage, I think they share with me the understanding of what it means to go to the homeland. I think almost every New Yorker can relate to the notion of going to where your ancestry is from and what that means.

In terms of the LIRR, at this moment, from what I know from my conversation with Governor Cuomo on Friday, you know there’s still a very serious hope that we can resolve this. Obviously that’s the state and the MTA, working with the LIRR union. There’s a hope that this can be resolved. I hope everyone will continue talking. I think that’s the way forward. We certainly found that in our labor relations in the city. The more we talked, the more we found a pathway to resolution. In the event there is a strike, the contingency plans are very, very strong. We benefit from the fact it’s July, and I think the amount of travel is reduced in July.  We benefit from the fact that a lot of people now, because of technology, can work from home. And I imagine if that event comes to pass, a lot of people will work from home who live in Long Island. So I think the contingency plans are very, very strong. The coordination between the state, the MTA and the city is very strong. So I feel confident we’re in good shape. But what I’d say is, we’re going to watch each development by definition. We have a plan for this trip, but we’re going to watch along the way and see how things develop.

Question: So you’re not saying whether you’ll come back or not?

Mayor: It’s a – everything has to be a case by case decision. What I’m saying is at this moment, I am hopeful there will not be a strike, and I believe very strongly in the contingency plans in place. But we’ll monitor the situation closely.

Question: What can you tell us about those contingency plans?

Mayor: It’s what you’ve seen publicly. I think the plans have been fairly well laid out, the additional bus service, the ferry service. Obviously NYPD and New York City DOT are taking measures to try and make sure the traffic is well-regulated. But I think the strong assumption is – again, the combination of being July and the ability of people to work from home is going to make this, thank God, something that can be managed very effectively.

Question: The Times had a report today about the violence in [inaudible] corrections officers at Rikers Island, and I’m curious to hear your reaction to that [inaudible]?

Mayor: A lot of steps are happening right now. That report obviously focused on events that took place last year in previous administration. But I think we have a very aggressive plan for change. And I have to give Commissioner Joe Ponte a lot of credit. He has been very public about saying that this is an unacceptable state of affairs and very serious, immediate action has to be taken. You’ve seen the investigations going on that have led to real results in terms of law enforcement. You’ve seen a huge amount of money devoted to the things we need through the city budget, passed a few weeks ago. We take the whole series of concerns very, very seriously. And I think Commissioner Ponte, if you look at his background, he’s a turn-around expert. He has gone into very difficult situations all over the country and taken dysfunctional prison and jail systems and gotten them right. And that’s what he’s going to do here. He has a lot of support from me, a lot of support from First Deputy Mayor Shorris, a lot of resources being put in at his disposal. So we work from the assumption that the current state of affairs is unacceptable, and we’re going to be taking very serious and quick actions to change it.

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: Tony Shorris as first deputy mayor, for all intents and  purposes, will be making all the day-to-day decisions. If you look at the charter, that provision that takes place after nine days is fairly narrowly drawn. But practically speaking, obviously the public advocate is a close colleague. Everyone understands that it’s a matter of a few hours, it’s a technicality. I think what we’re going to see is very consistent functioning in the city government and lots of communication.

Question: In addition to spending time with the family, can you tell us which government officials you plan to meet with and what do you hope to accomplish businesswise on the trip?

Mayor: Well I think in terms of the figures in the Italian government, the national government, we’ll be working with. We are waiting for the final answers on who those meetings will be with. In terms of mayors, there’s a possibility of seeing some of the mayors in some of the cities I’ll be in, including Rome and Naples. Look, a couple of things. One, obviously, Italy is a very central nation in the world, is now running the chairmanship of the European Union at this point, a crucial American ally, a country from which a huge number of people in New York City and the metropolitan area have their ancestral roots. So it’s a close relationship on many, many levels. In terms of the mayors, I think – I find when I talk to mayors from anywhere in the world, we share ideas, we compare notes, we work together on a host of issues, and I think mayors are more and more setting the pace for some of the changes that have to happen in the world. So I think this is part of building upon something that my predecessor, Michael Bloomberg did, I think a fine job on with working closely with mayors around the world on areas of common concern like climate change, like the fight against income inequality, things where we all have to push our national governments for a series of changes looking to the future, so I think they’re an important relationship to development.

Question: The Post had a report this weekend that four teachers who were taken from the classroom for sexual misconduct now have desk jobs and are making about $400,000 between the four of them, and I’m wondering will these teachers continue to have desk jobs and will they ever be back in the classroom?

Mayor: We’re certainly going to re-evaluate that situation. I think we have shown both through of the actions of the DOE and through the new teacher contract that we are very focused on making sure that people who don’t belong in the profession move along. I don’t know the details of these four cases. I don’t want to pre-judge, I can certainly assure you we will review them again.

Question: Mayor, from here in [inaudible]

 [Laughter]

Mayor: Thank you for sharing. At least this time Rich did not ask me to take my clothes off. I consider this progress. I – Rich, I fly coach very consistently.

Question: [Inaudible] If there is a strike, would you consider that an emergency for New York City?

Mayor: I think it depends on the particular dynamics. So first I think we have a couple moving parts here. We hope and pray there will not be a strike. And you may get to the deadline and there may be a mutual extension, which happens many times in these situations. Second, we will know upon getting to that point, if there is in fact a strike, how all of the measures being taken to address it are working. Again, my strong suspicion, and I think a lot of other people involved share it, is that because the timing happens to be the second half of July and because people now more than, say 20 years ago, have the option of working from home and basically it could be the same effect as if they’re in their office, I think what you’re going to find is a lot of people stay home and a lot of people are away anyway, and the effect will be quite manageable, and the coordination between the city, the state and the MTA is very, very strong. But we’re going to look at it carefully every step along the way, and we’ll make decisions accordingly. All right, over – yes?  

Question: There was a rally this morning outside of City Hall, with officials in support of Israel [inaudible] right outside the gates there was a rally in support of Palestine [inaudible]. I wanted to get your thoughts on that this morning and do you think it’s appropriate for local elected officials at the city level to be weighing in on these issues?

Mayor: Absolutely. I am the mayor of the city – again talking about a city within its city limits – I am the mayor of the city on the earth with the largest Jewish population, anywhere on this earth. By definition – I’ve said it many times – it’s not only normal and natural, I consider it my responsibility to stand up for the state of Israel. And Israel has a right to defend itself, period. We all hope and pray for as quick an end to the bloodshed as possible. We all hope and pray for a resumption of the talks that could lead to a long-term solution. But the bottom line here is Israel came under unprovoked attacks by rockets from Gaza and it has a right to defend itself. 

Question: [Inaudible]

Mayor: Absolutely. And to be fair, the City Council took tremendous leadership. Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito on the council provided a lot of the funding for that, and we were happy to include it in the budget. This fits very nicely with what we achieved last week, which is the municipal ID bill. Because both of these IDs – municipal ID and providing the legal services to those facing deportation – are about treating those who happen to be undocumented as our neighbors, as part of our city, as people who matter, as human beings. And I think in an ever more global context, this is the right way for a city to handle it. In fact, the reason it’s so humanly important is for so many of the people facing deportation, their families are here in New York City. Many of their family members are American citizens, in fact. Someone could be facing deportation and their child might be about to stay here, or vice versa. The fact it, we have an obligation to help. And when you provide the legal help, what you find is a lot of people who might have been deported wrongly are not deported and can stay with their family. And keeping families together is a value I think should unite all of us. So we’re very proud of this program. I hope it will be an example to the rest of the country, like I hope municipal ID will be. We are so appreciative to the cities that started municipal ID ahead of us, like New Haven and San Francisco and Oakland. They provided us inspiration. I hope this legal services program will provide additional inspiration around the country. Let’s treat our fellow New Yorkers properly. Let’s keep families together. And then we hope all of that will push the national government to do what it should have done years ago and finally achieve a comprehensive immigration reform. Thank you very much.