City Hall – Today the City Council will vote on legislation requiring that the Department of Education provide the Council and the public with academic reporting on all co-located schools in New York City. The Council will additionally vote on a resolution designating June as Gun Violence Month in New York City, and a resolution calling on the state government to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to serve on community boards. The Council will also vote on 4 home rules requesting additional training for fire officers and additional autonomy over traffic safety measures.

Requiring Academic Reporting on Co-Located Schools (Proposed Int. No. 12-A)

Co-located schools are often at risk for problems such as overcrowding and insufficient resources. Today, the Council will vote on Int. No. 12-A, sponsored by Council Member King, which would improve transparency regarding the academic performance of schools that are co-located by the Department of Education (DOE). The bill would require the DOE to report to the City Council and post on the DOE’s website, annually by August 30th, certain information on all co-located schools based on the prior school year. This information will include demographic information including, English language learner status, special education status and the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced price lunch. Additionally, this legislation would require reporting of information regarding student academic performance, including student scores received on state examinations. This bill would apply to both charter and non-charter schools that are co-located by the DOE.

“Int. 0012 would allow the Department of Education (DOE) and City Council the opportunity to review disparities in performance across schools, both public and charter. Where there are differences in the performance levels of students in different schools, it would also allow principals, teachers, Building Councils and School Leadership Teams a means to analyze how success can be promoted across schools. But more importantly, it would allow parents a resource to compare, analyze and gage the efficacy of their child’s school curriculum in contrast to other schools located in the same building,” said Council Member Andy King.

Allowing 16 and 17 –year-olds to Serve on Community Boards (Res. No. 115)

Many teenaged New Yorkers contribute to their communities in a variety of ways. This resolution would call upon Albany to give them eligibility to serve on their local community boards.

“There are 8.3 million people in our city, and 20 percent of them are under the age of 18. These New Yorkers deserve a voice on their local community boards,” said City Council Member Ben Kallos. “When Scott Stringer was 16, he was appointed to his local board. He helped his community and laid the groundwork for a lifetime of public service. I believe we will see many more stories like this one when young people can serve on their boards, and call on Albany to pass legislation right away.”

Recognizing June as Gun Violence Awareness Month (Res. No. 121)

In 2012, 57% of all murders were attributable to gun violence. Such violence has a disproportionate impact on certain communities and typically increases substantially in the summer months. In June 2013 alone there were an alarming 25 shootings in the span of 48 hours in New York City, representing 5% of the year’s total shootings. This resolution would recognize every June as Gun Violence Awareness Month in New York City.

Home Rules

The Council will vote on 4 home rules requesting action from the New York State Government.

• A request to accommodate additional field training for New York City fire officers.
• A request to allow New York City to establish a citywide 25 mile-per-hour speed limit.
• A request to extend the city’s red light camera program through 2019.
• A request to remove all conditions from the city’s red light camera program and allow New York City to install red light cameras as it deems fit.

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