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Gov. Cuomo responds to principals call for state takeover of New York City schools after vote of no confidence in mayor, chancellor

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Monday, September 28, 2020

Gov. Cuomo responds to calls for state takeover of NYC schools

Michelle Charlesworth has more on the growing controversey surrounding New York City public schools and in-person learning.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo responded to the the principals' union calls for the state to takeover the New York City school system after they unanimously declared a vote of "no confidence" for Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza.

Cuomo said they will monitor the situation with testing as schools reopen in New York City and act accordingly, but there will be no state takeover.

The principals unanimously declared a vote of "no confidence" for Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, and Gov. Cuomo responded.

More students in New York City are supposed to slowly move back toward in-person classes this week.

Intermediate schools (K-5) head back Tuesday and principals across the city say they do not have enough teachers for remote and in-person learning.

As of Monday, 48% of students have opted for remote learning, the Department of Education said.

A three-page critique runs through the problems the union says were caused by City Hall when it came to approaching the school year. Principals claim the city made it almost impossible to prepare for in-person learning.

The shortage has forced Tottenville High School on Staten Island to announce teachers teaching remotely with students in class and viewing lessons from a computer while being supervised by staff on October 1, which has lead to confusion for parents.

Despite the concerns, the city is moving forward.

"This week, more kids will be safely sitting in New York City classrooms than in any other major American city - a testament to city leadership and our educators' commitment to their students, and the importance of in-person education," the Department of Education said in a statement.

The union says the city still needs 12,000 teachers to pull off this plan.

ALSO READ: NYC Back to School: UFT says New York City needs 6-7K more teachers due to remote learning demands

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