Bill Thompson: Making New York Schools Work

Bill Thompson believes that the Bloomberg Administration has done far too little to ensure all of our children are receiving a quality education. Bill has proposed reforms that would increase accountability and efficiency in the New York City school system.

His proposal includes a new school board to replace the Department of Education's Panel for Education Policy (PEP). The new board would be a truly representative cross-section of New Yorkers with strong education experience, all recommended by a nominating committee.

Bill Thompson's plan also introduces more parent input into the system, and it mandates an independent audit of test scores and graduation rates - so we can all be 100% confident in the progress our schools are making.

New York’s Depart of Education is Broken

To say that the DOE lacks oversight and accountability is an understatement. Whether its $67 million to lease copiers or $5 million on computer software, DOE contacts are bloated and exceeding their targets by millions of dollars. Over the past two years, the DOE has exceeded contracts amounts by 25%, and wasted hundreds of millions of taxpayer money

Bill’s plan requires a competitive bidding process with oversight, so that we can be sure our schools are getting a fair deal – and that all of the money we send to the DOE is going straight to the classrooms and students who need it.

To read Bill's testimony before the Education Committee of the New York State Assembly, click here