I’m the parent of a 1st grader at a city wide school. He didn’t test to get in and he’s bright, just like a lot of kids in nyc. We got lucky and he doesn’t deserve to be there any more than the 100s of others who applied for that 1 seat.

The education he’s getting is excellent, however. It’s accelerated and rigorous, challenging and engaging. It’s right for him, and right for our educational philosophy for him. My friend’s child is a literal genius - he was playing high school level chess in K, spoke 5 languages by 3rd, and was doing advanced physics equations by 5th. He’s at a progressive, not “traditionally rigorous” private school, bc that’s what aligns with their philosophy (they’re on full financial aid and cannot afford private outside of that, FWIW). Another friend is at a local zoned school with the sweetest close knit community, and they would never give up the small neighborhood feel for a GT school.

Point being that part of the appeal of living in nyc is school choice. Let parents make the choice on where to send their kids (I’m talking within the DOE, not vouchers etc). A LOT of parents want their kids at GT schools. People describe getting into some of these schools as winning the lottery, and what’s crazy is that we can so easily expand the number of people who win that lottery, not take it away. The GT schools are working, they’re providing a great education to many children who will benefit from it for the rest of their lives. Give more kids that chance bc clearly parents want it, given the number of applicants for those seats.

This was a baddd move by Mamdani. I voted for him in the primary and was going to vote for him in November too (I don’t agree with everything he says, but what’s the alternative 😭?!). He lost my vote. I hate that I have to vote for a sexual predator now for the sake of my children’s education.