Frontus Calls on MTA to Reduce Transit Noise Near Residences
Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus (D-Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Brighton Beach, Gravesend) introduced a bill that may help Brightwater Towers residents in Coney Island by working on subsiding the screeches and rumbles of passing B, F and Q trains.
“Transit noise affects residents’ health and children’s ability to learn,” Frontus said. “Excessive noise is also a symptom of potentially more serious structural problems. The MTA cannot afford to skimp on maintenance that only results in more expensive repairs and interruptions in service.”
Brightwater Towers residents have long endured the ear-piercing sounds of elevated trains. Frontus suggested to Angela Kravtchenko, founder of Stop the Noise, that residents could organize and petition the MTA to quiet the trains that can exceed 100 decibels as they rattle past residential buildings.
Mosley Announces Endorsement of Bernie Sanders
Assemblyman Walter Mosley (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Bed-Stuy) announced his endorsement of Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential election yesterday.
“We are at a point in time where we need to collectively rise up and become the change agents that we are seeking. The American people have signaled to us that we don’t have to hold ourselves back by any political label. Rather, we need to open up to different viewpoints about how we galvanize new people in civic democracy.
I am enthusiastically supporting Senator Bernie Sanders for President because he has demonstrated an ability to excite new voters to participate in the political process. I look forward to working with Senator Sanders to uplift our communities’ voices and to ensure that every Brooklynite and American has an opportunity to succeed,” said Mosley.
Comptroller Stringer in Support of Equitable Budget
NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer delivered testimony yesterday to the City Council on the implications of the State budget for New York City.
Stringer is in support of an equitable budget that addresses past harms and lays a foundation for a more just future.
“We can, and must, do more to prepare for the risks and uncertainties that lie ahead. Today we face critical challenges in keeping our City affordable for our working families, as the costs of housing and child care soar. If we are not actively preparing today for the future, those challenges will only get more daunting. We cannot allow that to happen. We must ensure that we can continue to provide the promise of New York, today, and in the future,” testified Stringer.
Treyger Holds Oversight Hearing on Class Size Reduction
City Council Member Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Gravesend), chair of the council’s Committee on Education, last week held an oversight hearing on class size reduction for city public schools.
The hearing comes as class sizes in the city’s public schools are the largest in the state. Research has linked small class sizes with a variety of cognitive and other benefits for students, including higher student achievement and test scores, increased rates of high school graduation, college enrollment and completion, and long-term economic benefits from higher graduation rates.
At the hearing, Treyger requested that the Department of Education (DOE) and City Administration provide answers as to why the city has made little progress on class size reduction, particularly for the most disadvantaged students who would benefit greatest from smaller classes. According to a data analysis by the advocacy organization Class Size Matters, not only has the DOE failed to reduce class sizes as required since passage of the Campaign for Equity law in 2007, average class sizes in city schools are actually larger than they were then and have increased steadily since the 2008-09 school year.
“Large class sizes have been a problem in our schools for far too long. This is a basic equity issue for our students. Classes that are too large make it difficult for teachers to instruct and provide individualized attention, which children need. It is clear that the benefits of class size reduction lead to better school performance and better life outcomes. We need to do better for our students by reducing class size,” said Treyger.
