Residents of one neighborhood in the district, Maspeth, a blue-collar area with a small-town feel in western Queens, have long lamented the lack of a high school there, and they want to give local children a leg up in getting into the new school. But that aspiration runs counter to a central tenet of the Bloomberg administration’s education philosophy: that giving certain students an advantage threatens to further splinter the sprawling system by class, leaving families lacking savvy and resources to attend some of the worst schools.[Emphasis mine.] I understand that not everyone shares my belief that those who have are responsible to share with those who have not.
But one might think that people in a community would understand, from self-interest if nothing else, that educating all of the children of the community benefits everyone. Not to mention that education should be a right, not a privilege of birth.
Fortunately, a voice of reason speaks out from City Hall:
“We always try to respond to residents, but not to go counter to our beliefs,” said Deputy Mayor Dennis M. Walcott, who oversees education and community development. “We don’t want students blocked out, which can lead to a have and have-not type of society. We want to build an inclusive society.”
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