The New York Times reports that the newly-elected mayor of New York would rather fix troubled schools than close them:

“In the packed auditorium of an East Harlem high school, MayorBill de Blasio announced a new approach to fixing New York City’s most troubled public schools on Monday, offering them more money and staffing, extending the length of their day, and arranging for social services to be delivered to students and families on site.

“He described the new strategies, in a speech to a standing-room crowd of advocates and educators, as a sharp departure from his predecessor’s approach, which centered on closing large, failing schools and replacing them with smaller ones.

” ‘The previous administration had a policy that a school like this was left to fend for itself, and that’s why we’re here today, because we reject the notion of giving up on any of our schools,’ Mr. de Blasio said at the Coalition School for Social Change…”

Continue reading.Here’s what AFT President Randi Weingarten said in response:

“In sharp contrast to tearing down or closing down public schools, as the last administration did with increasing frequency, Mayor Bill de Blasio’s School Renewal Plan not only fixes schools instead of closing them, but also makes public schools the center of our neighborhoods and communities…”

Read more.