The hot topic of how to increase diversity in city schools, particularly in the specialized high schools, came before a packed City Council chamber on Dec. 11.

New York City is a beacon for immigrants, UFT Vice President for Academic High Schools Janella Hinds testified, yet our schools are among the most segregated in the nation. The problem, she said, is especially prevalent in the city’s eight specialized high schools, where admittance is determined by a single admissions test and where the student body is predominantly drawn from a small group of middle schools.

“Today, our union is once again taking a strong stand in the name of increasing diversity in our city schools — and that means ensuring that every child, regardless of background, race or economic status, has access to the best educational opportunities our public schools have to offer,” Hinds said.

The issue came before the Council after reports showed New York City schools were becoming more racially isolated, meaning students from one race constitute 75 percent or more of the student population. The situation is especially acute in districts in northern Manhattan and central Brooklyn. In addition, few blacks and Latinos are being admitted to the city’s elite high schools, although they represent 70 percent of city students.

Hinds spearheaded the UFT’s Specialized High School Task Force, which recommended a series of reforms last March to improve students’ access to the specialized high schools. They included ensuring that students in every middle school be pre-registered for the entrance exam (with an opt-out option); ensuring every middle school student and family know about the admissions test; expanding test preparation programs; expanding the summer Discovery Program that allows “disadvantaged” students who narrowly miss the cutoff score for admission to be accepted after taking and passing a summer course; and broadening admissions criteria beyond the current one-day test.

“The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test is far from the objective measure unyielding to political pressure that its supporters claim it to be,” said Hinds.

Opponents, who rallied outside the Council chambers before the session, say they support the call for preparation programs and better access, but defended the single test admissions policy as the most “unbiased.” Council Member Peter Koo, who represents Flushing, said that students whose families sacrifice so that they can prepare for the test should not be penalized. “Rather than going on vacation they go to prep schools,” he said.

The Council heard testimony on three separate initiatives: a bill introduced by Brooklyn Council Member Brad Lander that would compel the DOE to account annually for its progress towards more diverse schools; a resolution from Bronx Council Member Ritchie Torres that would establish diversity as a core policy goal in DOE decision-making; and a second resolution, from Council Member Inez Barron, that calls on state lawmakers to pass a bill introduced earlier this year to change entrance requirements for specialized high schools to include multiple measures.

Ursulina Ramirez, the chief of staff to Chancellor Carmen Farina, said the DOE would readily comply with the reporting requirements; but she said the DOE could not comment on the Council resolutions.
Ramirez promised the DOE is doing a “deep dive” into the various options, including changing district boundaries and admissions policies.

There were no votes at the Council session, and Council Members were clearly divided on the question of changing the admissions process for the standardized high schools. The topic is likely to be the subject of more discussion, in many forums, before any decisions are reached.

“Diversity is a fundamental moral issue, especially now with what we’re seeing on the streets of this city,” said Council Member Lander. “It matters if we create diverse schools.”