DANIEL DROMM, Democrat for City Council

From The Epoch Times: By Jack Phillips

Labels: Budget, Education, Press

From Queens Tribune: By Domenick Rafter

Labels: Education, Press

Labels: Budget, Education, Press

Council Member Daniel Dromm speaks at the "Youth Speak Out on Education" presentation at the Children's Aid Society. 4/1/10. photo by William Alatriste

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education

Labels: EconomicDevelopment, Education, Press, Youth

From Gotham Gazette: By Gail Robinson

Class size in New York City public schools could increase by as many as five students across the city if Gov. David Paterson’s proposed budget cuts — largely echoed by the State Senate this week — take effect, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein told the City Council Education Committee this morning. Klein used the grim forecast to urge council members to not only support him in trying to get some of the state funding restored but also to endorse some of his long-held goals, including lifting the limit on the number of charter schools in the state and ending the requirement that any teacher layoffs protect more senior teachers.

According to Klein’s calculations, the array of cuts in Paterson’s budget mean a total of $600 million less for the city public schools next year — and that does not include the effect a possible elimination of student MetroCards would have on the system.

In January, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that the governor’s proposed budget would force the city to lay off some 8,500 teachers. Yesterday city budget director Mark Page asked the department to cut its spending by an additional 2.7 percent in case the “worst case” scenario materializes.

The school district has a budget of about $22 billion, but Klein said half of that is “locked down” in debt service, pension costs and other expenses that the city cannot cut. Some $8 billion goes directly to schools, largely for teacher salaries.

Calling the worst case “undeniably severe,” Klein told council members it would force the city “to lay of 15 percent of our math, English, science and social studies teachers.” While the cuts would be spread throughout the city, he said, they would be particularly harsh in some areas such as Community School district 7 in the South Bronx, which could lose 21 percent of its teachers, and district 2 on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, which could lose almost a fifth of its teaching force.

That could mean that, when school opens in September, the average elementary school classroom could have 26 students while middle school class size would be around 30 or 31, and high school class size would be over 30. Klein said he doubted classes in the city had been that large since the 1970s.

Making matter worse, in Klein’s view, is a state requirement that the department lay of its most junior teachers first. Not only does that ignore the expertise and skill of individual teachers, he said, but “last out, first out also creates the potential for downright education chaos: layoffs would trigger a chain reaction of seniority based ‘bumping’” throughout the system.

Councilmember Lewis Fidler, though, expressed concern that, if senior teachers did not have protection, their higher salaries could encourage principals to fire them first. “We shouldn’t punish people for seniority,” Fidler said. “You’re incentivizing [principals] to get rid of the most senior teachers.”

Klein also called for changes in the way the teachers deal with teachers who spend years in the Absent Teacher Reserve Pool, not teaching but continuing to draw a alary. In particular he proposed allowing teachers without assignments to draw pay for no more than a year.

Councilmember Danny Dromm, a former teacher, reminded Klein that the city agreed to some of the protection for teachers without classes in earlier contract negotiations. “What you’re trying to do is privatize public schools and do some union busting,” Dromm charged.

While several council member denounced charter schools at a hearing last week with Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm, Klein got off fairly easily on that count. In his testimony, the chancellor said the state had to raise the limit on the number of charters so it could receive as much as $700 million in federal Race to the Top education funding.

But, while promising not to revisit the charter school issue, once member — Fidler left no question of where he stood, telling Klein “I’d sooner leave Race to the Top money on the table in Washington that raise the cap on charter schools.”

What to do then? Councilmember Mark Weprin had one suggestion for Klein, asking the chancellor “Have you thought of having a bake sale?”

Labels: Budget, Education, Press

From Gotham Gazette: By Gail Robinson

Spending for charter schools represents less than 2 percent of the city’s $11.3 billion five-year capital plan for city schools, but you would not have known that from Friday’s hearing on the capital budget. An unlikely one-two punch of two Brooklyn council members — Charles Barron from East New York and Dominic Recchia from Bensonhurst — used the Education Committee session to voice opposition to the administration’s promotion of the privately run, publicly funded charter schools. Other members quickly picked up the criticism, questioning whether the Department of Education’s failures lie at the root of the charter schools’ alleged success.

The acrimonious exchanges Friday represented just another indication that charters have emerged as one of the hot-button issues in New York.

Defending charters, Kathleen Grimm, deputy chancellor for instruction and portfolio planning, noted some 30,000 students are in waiting lists for the schools.

This prompted an explosion from Recchia. “I could take away that list in one hour,” Recchia said by giving regular public schools — he referred to these as “my schools” — the same rights and advantages the charters get. “Give my school the same funding and the same support,” he demanded.

After advising Recchia to take a breath, education committee chair Robert Jackson essentially echoed his comments, albeit in more measured tones. “If they paid as much attention to public schools as to charter schools, public schools would be much better off,” Jackson said. “The failure of public schools lies at the feet of the mayor and the chancellor.”

Daniel Dromm, a new council member and onetime teacher, questioned whether charter schools might succeed because they do not have to comply with city regulations and policies. “Why is it the freedom accorded charter school can’t be afforded regular public schools?” he asked. In particular Dromm called on Grimm — and the department — to look at requirements for reporting and data collection that, he said, “take away from teaching time and collaboration.”

The exchange in the City Council came a day after State Sen. Bill Perkins, who has emerged as a leading charter critic, announced the would hold hearings next month. (See previous post.) In a statement, Perkins said charter operators and the management companies some of them hire “are not subject to the same requirements of transparency and accountability required of public schools.”

Meanwhile Crain’s reports that, charter supporters are striking back. Daniel Clark, a charter parent from Harlem, has launched a group called Parents Organizing to Win Education Reform, or P.O.W.E.R. NOW, to try to elect charter supporters to office. While the parents may not have big bucks their allies do, according to Crain’s “including Joel Greenblatt and John Petry of hedge fund Gotham Capital, who are board members at former City Councilmember Eva Moskowitz’s Harlem Success charter network, and Anthony Davis, of Anchorage Capital Management.

Petry and Davis, along with Charles Ledley of Cornwall Capital, and Whitney Tilson of T2 Partners and Tilson Funds, sit on the board of Democrats for Education Reform, another decidedly pro charter group.

On the other side, the United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew told Crain’s he would “ramp up efforts” to counter the charter movement’s political activity and leadership, which he says is driven by people interested in “making profits off of public education.”

The battle seems certain to head up even more as the state tries to remain in the competition for federal Race to the Top funds. Some state officials — including Mayor Michael Bloomberg — have Charter Schools Enter Uncharted Waters in Gotham Gazette.

Labels: Education, Press

From Times Newsweekly: By Sam Goldman

The area’s newest lawmaker came to the Monday, Mar. 1 Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (COMET) meeting at Bethzatha Church of God in Elmhurst to talk about his work so far and his future plans.

City Council Member Daniel Dromm told the crowd that his Jackson Heights office is “off to a good start,” with 30 of 48 constituent cases solved at the time of the meeting.

Among the issues solved are tree plantings, pothole filling and social service requests.

Dromm also told the crowd that he wants to add seats to School District 24, adding that he hopes to persuade the Department of Education to lease the Blessed Sacrament School building in Jackson Heights.

The topic shifted to health care, with Dromm telling residents that Elmhurst Hospital Center is straining to accommodate the increase in clients stemming from the loss of nearby St. John’s Queens Hospital.

As a mitigation measure, he wants to add more primary care facilities to the area, to prevent residents from “using Elmhurst (Hospital) as a doc- tor’s office,” leaving the staff to tackle more urgent cases.

Finally, he shifted to quality-oflife issues. “We have a lot of plans,” said Dromm. “I believe in the broken windows theory.”

One plan involves getting the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to lease some of the commercial spaces at the 74th Street/Roosevelt Avenue transit hub, which Dromm claims is quickly becoming dilapidated inside.

He then took questions from the crowd, including one from Ellen Kang on how he plans to help small businesses in the area.

Dromm pledged to “cut that red tape” and reduce the amount of paperwork necessary so small businesses get up and running faster.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, EconomicDevelopment, Education, Health Care, MassTransit, Press

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education

From Gotham Schools: By Anna Phillips

The city’s teachers union and the NAACP filed suit against the Department of Education today, claiming that the city lost the right to close 19 schools when it violated the law that governs school closures.

Those who have read the law — or the “carefully crafted multi-tiered public process,” as the lawsuit states —can testify that it is not a simple one to follow.

Part of the mayoral control legislation that barely made it through the state legislature last summer calls for the city to hold hearings at each of the public schools slated for closure, for “stakeholders” to be consulted, and for the city to study and report on the effects closing schools would have on their surrounding communities. All of this had to be completed a certain number of days before the citywide schoolboard, the Panel for Educational Policy, voted on the closings.

The United Federation of Teachers is charging the city with putting up only “a pretense of compliance” with those procedures. The department’s Educational Impact Statements were “boilerplate,” Mulgrew said. Their notices of public hearings were published too late and the views of Community Education Councils, which function as local school boards with limited power, were ignored, the lawsuit alleges.

“I don’t know any other way to get the attention of the DOE,” said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who joined the UFT’s lawsuit. Stringer said he doesn’t oppose closing failing schools on principle, but believes the city has violated the law.

Absent from the news conference at the UFT’s headquarters in Lower Manhattan today was Democratic State Senator Daniel Squadron, who sponsored the law along with Republican State Senator Frank Padavan. In October, Squadron told a small gathering of residents from his district who objected to the law that he felt personally responsible for ensuring that the city followed the protocol it laid out.

DOE officials expected the UFT to sue, but appear particularly irritated by the NAACP’s decision to join as a plaintiff.

“Either you’re for fixing schools that have failed poor and overwhelmingly minority students for far too long, or you’re not. I know what side we’re on,” said Deputy Mayor for Education Dennis Walcott in a statement.

Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit include: the Alliance for Quality Education, Marty Markowitz, Bill Perkins, Eric Adams, Martin Dilan, Hakeem Jeffries, Robert Jackson, Charles Barron, Mark Weprin, Al Vann, Daniel Dromm, and Lewis Fidler.

Squadron did not return a request for comment.

Labels: Education, Press

From NY1: By Lindsey Christ

The United Federation of Teachers filed suit Monday against the Department of Education over its plans to close 19 city schools.

The suit accuses Schools Chancellor Joel Klein of ignoring the law and not properly analyzing the impact of closures on students and communities.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew was joined by teachers, parents, community groups and elected officials for the announcement.

"It has become clear to us that they have not followed the law," Mulgrew argued.

The Panel for Education Policy voted last week to close 19 underperforming schools.

The decision came against objections from students and parents, who rallied and spoke at the meeting for nine hours.

"We listened. I mean we did detailed analysis of these schools and we listened to what people had to stay, but at the same time we cannot allow schools that have not done their job, so we met the letter of the law," said Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott.

"What we are asking here is for this process to be redone, because it was not followed correctly. We cannot ignore the public comment," Mulgrew said.

During an appearance Monday on NY1's "Inside City Hall," Klein responded strongly to the lawsuit.

"The schools that were front and center in that lawsuit like Jamaica, Beach Channel and Columbus and others, they were schools that were identified by the state as persistently lowest performing in the entire state. What we need to do is come up with better solutions for our state," Klein said.

When asked about accusations that the process was fixed, Klein said that during the public hearings, no one made a compelling case for keeping the schools open.

The schools will be phased out over several years, meaning current students will be allowed to graduate, but there will be no new enrollments.

Most of the closed schools will be replaced by smaller schools, often in the same building.

Labels: Education, Press

From Western Queens Gazette: by Thomas Cogan

Community Board 3’s first meeting of 2010 at the board’s usual meeting place, I.S. 227, the Louis Armstrong School in Corona, three politicians introduced themselves and talked. A spokesman for a local ambulance service sought letters of approval for a plan that would expand its territory. There was a new election of board officers. Near the end of the meeting, there was word of a proposal to build an elementary school, while the MTA proposal to eliminate free transit fare for students was not appreciated.

City Councilmember Daniel Dromm was the first politician to the front of the room. New to political office, he first defeated incumbent Helen Sears in a primary race for nomination to the City Council’s 25th district seat then won the November election, where, he acknowledged, his share of the vote was 75 percent. Just after being inaugurated, he was named head of the council Immigration Committee.

Dromm has a 25-year background teaching in city schools and spoke first of educational matters. He noted that the local problem of overcrowded classrooms would be allayed considerably if an arrangement could be effected for public school students to fill 700 seats at the now closed Blessed Sacrament elementary school at 34-20 94th St. “It would be like getting a new school,” he said. He praised the Renaissance Charter School, a K-12 school that has operated at 35-59 81st St. for nearly a decade. Turning to another critical area, he deplored the healthcare situation since the recent closing of three Queens hospitals, saying the closings have had a particularly severe impact on Elmhurst Medical Center, where people in need of treatment often must wait nine or 10 hours just to be admitted. He said that several primary care centers are needed locally, and added that he and Congressmember Joseph Crowley have been trying to gain funds from the federal stimulus package, which might be used toward getting some of those centers.

He said that day laborers, widely seen as a great problem in the vicinity of Roosevelt Avenue, should instead be seen as those “least amongst us” that he learned about in his Catholic youth. Allowing that they have caused some problems, he said that they need community centers to address their situation of being unattached to just about anything. He praised the closing from time to time of 78th Street to make it a play street for children, hailing Board 3 Member Ed Westley for his part in bringing it about. Considering the number of local restaurants, he said that Jackson Heights should stage something like Atlantic Antic in Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue neighborhoods. He concluded by saying: “The strength of our community is the diversity of our community.”

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, CulturalAffairs, EconomicDevelopment, Education, Environment, HealthCare, ImmigrantRights, Parks-Playgrounds, Press

From Queens Chronicle: By Michael Lanza

City Council Member Daniel Dromm was elected to serve as Chair of the Immigration Committee. Dromm will also serve on these committees: Education; Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations; Juvenile Justice; Parks; and Veterans.

Labels: CulturalAffairs, Education, ImmigrantRights, JuvenileJustice, LawEnforcement, Parks-Playgrounds, Veterans

From Elmhurst Times: by Jeremy Walsh

Consistently low graduation rates at Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood and Long Island City High School and Newtown High School in Elmhurst have placed all three institutions on the list for state and federal funding that would either completely make over the schools or close them entirely.

The state-issued list of 57 schools with graduation rates below 60 percent or consistently low scores on state English and math exams was released last Thursday. It includes 10 schools in Queens.

City Councilman Daniel Dromm’s (D-Jackson Heights) office has scheduled a meeting with Newtown HS staff. Dromm said he opposed closing the school.

“In general, my impression of Newtown has been that ... people were happy with Newtown and I have not heard any problems,” Dromm said, praising the state DOE for informing his office when the report was to be released. “I hope they’ll let us in on what the decision making process is.”

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education, Press

From TimesLedger: by Anna Gustafson
Rego Center spurs worries, Dromm visits Community Board 6

Mitigating traffic around Rego Center should be a top priority for City Councilman-elect Danny Dromm, members of Community Board 6 told the incoming legislator at their meeting last week.

CB 6 Chairman Joseph Hennessy, other members and area resident Hersh Parekh said they were worried that the Rego Park shopping center slated to open in February could bring with it burdensome traffic. Rego Center will include such stores as Costco, T.J. Maxx and Kohl’s.

“We’re very concerned about the traffic,” Hennessy told Dromm. “We’d like to meet with the developer and the [city] Department of Transportation.”

Dromm, who will replace outgoing Councilwoman Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights), attended the CB 6 meeting Dec. 9 to introduce himself to board members. Councilwoman-elect Karen Koslowitz represents the majority of the area covered by CB 6, but Dromm has constituents in part of Rego Park. He will represent the area where Rego Center will be located.

The center is a 6.6-acre site at the intersection of Junction Boulevard and 62nd Drive next to the Long Island Expressway and directly behind the Rego Park Mall, which includes an Old Navy, a Sears and a Bed, Bath & Beyond. The site is managed by Vornado but owned by Alexander’s Inc.

According to a Nov. 2 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the development will be a 600,000-square-foot shopping center on four levels and will include a parking deck with about 1,400 spaces. As of October, 138,000 square feet had been leased to Costco, 134,000 square feet leased to Century 21 and 132,000 square feet leased to Kohl’s.

District Manager Frank Gulluscio and Hennessy said Vornado officials told them T.J. Maxx had also signed a lease.

Parekh, a Rego Park resident, said at the meeting he wasworried that traffic from the center could make parking impossible for residents.

“I know traffic is a very, very big concern for people,” Dromm said. “We need to get on top of that.”

Dromm told community board members that education was one of his main concerns and said he hoped to work to bring more seats to a district notorious for its crowded classrooms.

“Education has always been my passion,” said Dromm, a former public school teacher.

The incoming lawmaker said he also wanted to work on health care issues in the borough, particularly in light of the closure of St. John’s Hospital in Elmhurst. Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica closed at the same time as St. John’s last February. Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills closed not long before St. John’s and Mary Immaculate shut their doors.

Dromm said he is looking into bringing in health facilities to “alleviate overcrowding in area hospitals.”

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education, HealthCare, Transportation

From Queens Gazette:
In the expected-to-be close Democratic Party primary in the 25th Council District (Jackson Heights), school teacher and gay advocate Daniel Dromm has received an important endorsement from former Assemblymember Ivan Lafayette.

In choosing Dromm, Lafayette, one of the highest-ranked regular Democratic former office holders in the district, bypassed another longtime regular Democratic official, incumbent Councilmember Helen Sears. For many years both Lafayette and Sears served as Democratic district leaders in Jackson Heights. Lafayette, who served for 32 years in the Assembly before retiring, said he endorsed Dromm after years of working personally with him and also because of Dromm's "commitment and effectiveness on the issues that matter most to me, —better schools, more access to doctors and health care, and improved quality of life".

Dromm also was recently endorsed by the Citizens Union, United Auto Workers and the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys. Also in the 25th district primary is Stanley Joseph Kalathara.

Labels: Education, Endorsements, HealthCare, Press

From Queens Chronicle:
by Willow Belden

Jackson Heights could become home to a new charter high school, if an application submitted to the Department of Education is approved — and if the school can find a suitable location.

The Renaissance Charter High School for Innovation would house approximately 500 students in grades nine through 12 and would be located either in District 30 or District 24.

Daniel Dromm, a longtime Jackson Heights teacher and candidate for City Council, said teachers and parents are very involved in decision-making at Renaissance, which is a plus.

“What works with students is what we have going on with students at Renaissance,” he said, calling the institution “a model for charter schools.”

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education, Press

From Crains:
Educational Justice PAC, which bills itself as the city’s first parent-initiated grassroots political action committee, will unveil its City Council endorsements today. The big winner is Daniel Dromm, a public school teacher challenging Queens Councilwoman Helen Sears in the Democratic primary. Dromm got $2,750, the maximum donation allowed. S.J. Jung, running for an open seat in Flushing, got $750, and Mark Winston Griffith, challenging Councilman Al Vann in central Brooklyn, got $500. Eight incumbents received $250 each from the PAC, which says it’s trying to increase accountability at the Department of Education.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education, Grassroots, Press

From Jackson Heights Times: by Jeremy Walsh
"Dromm Touts Activist Past"
When Daniel Dromm launched his bid for the City Council last year, he did not expect to be the underdog. But when Mayor Michael Bloomberg succeeded in extending term limits, the public school teacher and Democratic district leader found himself pitted against incumbent Councilwoman Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights).

“It does change my strategy,” he said. “But that’s going to be a problem for her, because I disagree with her a lot.”

Dromm said as a councilman, he would focus on overcrowding in schools, traffic congestion and health care.

He criticized Sears for not bringing additional school seats to her Council district, noting that Districts 24 and 30 are two of the most overcrowded in the city.

“We’ve got to build up [on existing sites] or we find other places to do it,” he said. “Just saying that we can’t do something is not acceptable.”

To alleviate traffic congestion, Dromm proposed redirecting and extending some one-way streets in the Jackson Heights Historic District, as well as commissioning a traffic impact study for the LeFrak City area, which he fears will be overwhelmed by vehicles traveling to and from the new shopping center along Junction Boulevard in Rego Park.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education, HealthCare, Press, Transportation

From City Hall News:
Queens County and Others Inch Toward Dromm in Race Against Sears
Immigrant issues, LGBT resonance define Jackson Heights primary
by Betwa Sharma

Incumbents do not tend to get voted out of the Council. But that is exactly what several challengers are hoping to do in the Jackson Heights district of Helen Sears (D), who is defending herself against charges that she is ineffective and out of step with the constituents.

“She has achieved little in eight years, and now her time is over,” said Daniel Dromm, who teaches the fourth grade and is considered by many to be the most likely to knock off the 80-year old Sears. “The community is desperate for change.”

A dedicated gay rights activist since the early 1990s, Dromm has already secured endorsements from the United Federation of Teachers and from many district leaders—almost unheard of for a challenger.

Dromm is confident that he will get support from the two political clubs he founded—the New Visions Democratic Club and the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club. He also hopes to get the backing of the John F. Kennedy Democratic Club of Queens, which is Sears’ home club.

A big boost for Dromm is that Maureen Allen, president of the JFK club, has already endorsed him. Political heavyweights in the community, including Assembly Member José Peralta (D) and Council Member Julissa Ferreras (D), who represents the neighboring district, are also on his side.

By making education, quality of life and civil rights his top issues, Dromm has won support in different groups of the diverse neighborhood.

“Danny is the fresh air this neighborhood needs,” said Will Sweeney, a resident and community activist. “The generation that would vote for Sears has passed.”

The buzz is that Dromm will also win the nomination of the Queens County Democratic Party over Sears. A political insider described the incumbent as “not very innovative,” who did not go out of the way for her electorate. “The party is in a tight spot right now,” he said. “They’re thinking of easing her out.”

There is some fatigue in the community as well, according to a district leader who spoke on the condition of anonymity and slammed the Council member for skipping meetings and events.

“People do not get help from her office in accessing city services, and they are simply tired of Helen Sears,” the district leader said.

Dromm, who was the party’s choice before the term limits extension, has managed to retain his support inside the party. The district leader expressed confidence that the majority of district leaders were leaning towards nominating Dromm as the party candidate.


But district leader and Assembly Member Michael Den Dekker said he believes Sears remains strong.

“She has worked in the community since I was a little kid,” he said. “Her political record is hard to beat.”

That is the argument Sears herself is making on the trail.

“No one has more insights into this community and no one can represent it better,” she said.

The district has undergone rapid change since Sears was first elected in 2001, becoming a center for immigrants from Latin America, South Asia and East Asia.

Two immigrants, Bryan Pu-Folkes and Rodolfo Flores, gave Sears a spirited challenge in the 2005 primary. In that extremely low-turnout, 6,800-vote race, Sears eked out a victory with 4,225 votes.

Despite the flood of immigrants, the voting pattern does not reflect the changing demographics of the community. Many newcomers do not register to vote, do not apply for citizenship or eventually move out to a richer neighborhood.

Out of 58,664 total registered voters, there are some 7,000 South Asians registered to vote, according to SEVA, an immigrant advocacy group based in Queens.

Stanley Kalathara, a lawyer who has raised $67,952, and Mujib Rahman, a Bangladeshi resident of Elmhurst who has not reported campaign funds, are also in the race but have not emerged as serious competitors. Then there is Alfonso Quiroz, another LGBT activist, who has $67,686 in the bank.

Sears, meanwhile, reported $119,623 on her May filing for a committee that remains technically undeclared. Dromm reported $81,087.

While Dromm is seen as the inimitable pioneer of activism, Quiroz is making his mark as a new-age activist. He is addressing issues like clean energy, economic development, education, affordable housing and transportation.

Many residents, however, are put off by his position as spokesperson for Con Ed.

Quiroz called that background an advantage.

“My experience in the energy sector will be very useful for the community,” he said.

There remains some question, however, over whether or not two gay candidates will split the vote of the burgeoning LGBT community of Jackson Heights. But Quiroz is not worried about splitting the vote with Dromm.

“We’re two completely different people. Different generations, political paths and outlooks,” he said.

Plus, there are old-fashioned factions among the South Asians who may not vote for a gay candidate, like local Muslim merchant Mohammad Pier.

“We are very conservative and it is against our religion,” Pier said.

But many South Asians seem not to care about the sexual orientations of the candidates, and, like Sikh voter Jaspreet Singh, are more concerned about civil rights for people often targeted because of their turbans and long beards.

For all that is being discussed, though, Den Dekker said he believes September will be about one question.

“This is what an election is all about,” he said. “Vote for experience, or vote for change.”

Labels: CivilRights, CommunityOrganizing, Education, Immigrant Rights, Press, QualityofLife

The Kiwanis Club of Sunnyside will honor Daniel Dromm as Educator of the Year at a gala event to be held at Manetta's Restaurant in Long Island City on Sunday, April 26, 2009. The Kiwanis Club chose Dromm because of his outstanding dedication and commitment to the children of Sunnyside as a teacher at PS 199Q where he has taught for the last 25 years. Dromm has educated generations of young children originally as a fourth grade classroom teacher and currently as a social studies teacher.

Dromm, who is also a Kiwanian, was chosen for this honor because he volunteers his time to organize PS 199Q's participation in the annual Kiwanis sponsored Sunnyside Flag Day Parade. Dromm can, on every second Saturday in June, be seen marching up Greenpoint Avenue with over 100 children and their parents in the Flag Day Parade all waving American flags. PS 199Q buys an American flag for every participant from the school.

Dromm has also been responsible for coordinating PS 199Q's annual participation in the Sunnyside Kiwanis Club's annual essay contest for the last 25 years. Dromm works with his students to draft their submissions. Then, he and his principal select the four best submissions to forward to the club.

Dromm is a beloved teacher. He has many former students volunteering on his campaign. His students credit him with their success and their own commitment to community service.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education

Dromm: It All Begins With Education from Visual Democracy on Vimeo.
City Council candidate Daniel Dromm speaks about the need to improve our public schools in New York City. This video is an excerpt from Daniel Dromm's 'State of the District' speech which chronicled the challenges facing the 25th City Council District and his vision for the future.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education

School Overcrowding
Our district has urgent needs in education. Now is the time for a leader to act boldly and wisely, to build a new foundation for progress. It's an agenda that begins with education.

We can not compete as a community with schools that are overcrowded. I conduced an analysis of public schools in our district and was alarmed at the extent of how overcrowded our schools truly are.

click on stats for larger view:
It is shameful that we have schools like PS 228 operated at 231% of capacity. Of the 18 schools serving our district, 13 are over-capacity. We need to immediately address this problem. As your City Council representative, I will make it a top priority to build more classrooms in our district. I will vigorously pursue federal recovery funds to expand schools in our area and to build new ones.

source: Dept of Education & insideschools.org

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education

Daniel Dromm, City Council candidate and UFT chapter leader, organized a large group of teachers to attend the Fair Share Tax Reform Rally at City Hall on Thursday, March 5th.

From WNYC.ORG:

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education, Unions

From Queens Chronicle:
The state Senate Democratic School Governance Task Force held a public hearing on Feb. 5 at Queens Borough Hall to gather input on the mayoral control policy, which will end in June unless legislators renew it this year. Speaker after speaker stressed that changes need to be made.

The hearing came one week after an Assembly committee held a similar hearing in Queens, where again the majority of speakers asked that the law be overhauled.

Danny Dromm, a teacher at P.S. 199 in Sunnyside and a District 25 City Council hopeful, gave his support to the United Federation of Teachers’ proposal to continue mayoral control with changes. The UFT approved a report that reconfigures the PEP so it can operate independently, give more power to the CECs and enable superintendents to help bridge the gap for parents and schools who need more information and assistance, in addition to others.

Labels: Education, Press

Daniel Dromm has offered a detailed plan to get NYC's public school system back on track. As a teacher in the Queens public schools, Dromm understands the challenges facing students and educators. He is focusing his City Council campaign on the need to bring new ideas, more oversight, and increased parental involvement in the decision-making process at the Department of Education.

Requiring Parental Involvement

In study after study, researchers discover how important it is for parents to be actively involved in their child's education. As a teacher, Daniel Dromm can personally attest to the fact that the more a parent is involved in a child’s learning, the more successful the student is. He believes that parents should be required to meet with their children’s teachers on a regular basis -- to access the student’s academic performance, to actively organize and monitor a child's time, to help with homework and to discuss school matters.

As your city council representative, Dromm will create a program that requires parental involvement in a child's education. This will require additional monies and resources directed toward parental involvement but it is more than worth it.

photo credit: flickr/seven.palace

Labels: Education

From Daily Gotham:
Daniel Dromm: Running for City Council in Queens' Council District 25 against Helen Sears

Daniel Dromm is an educator, community organizer, union leader, and political activist. His experience and dedication to the community has led to Dromm being overwhelming elected Democratic District Leader in the 39th Assembly District, Part A (Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona and Woodside in Queens) in 2002 and re-elected in 2004 and 2006.

Daniel Dromm is an award-winning New York City public school teacher. Since 1984, he has instructed and inspired thousands of students at PS 199Q in Queens. In 2006, Dromm was chosen as Outstanding Teacher of the Year by his school's principal...Dromm took a lead role in implementing several successful projects such as the "Philosophy for Children" project and the Integrated Language Arts project. He was hand-picked by the New York City Opera to give a workshop at Lincoln Center on bringing opera into the classroom. In 1997, along with colleague Barbara Baruch, Dromm won the 'UFT Kid's Day on Broadway' grant for his school. He has received awards from both the District and from the PTA for his dedication to students...

In 1992, Dromm courageously came out as an openly gay teacher. The story became front-page news in daily newspapers throughout the city. The ensuing battle tested Dromm's resolve as a fighter who is unafraid to take on the powers that be. Dromm defeated several unsuccessful attempts to remove him from his job and became a role model for equality in the workplace. This episode in Dromm's life illustrated to him how important tenure is as a protection for teachers.

You can see who has endorsed Dromm (including Mark Green and the UFT) here.

Labels: Education

Above: City Council candidate Julissa Ferreras, Juan Nicolas Tineo and Daniel Dromm
Daniel Dromm is a proud supporter and promoter of Hispanic literature. Dromm recently gave opening remarks in Spanish at a reception for author and poet Juan Nicolas Tineo at the Diversity Center on 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights. Juan read from his newly published book, "Temporario". During the day, Juan is a NYC public school teacher and a United Federation of Teachers Chapter Leader just like Dromm. Juan is a main organizer of Queens annual Hispanic Literature Fair which is co-sponsored by Assembly Member Jose Peralta. District 21 City Council candidate Julissa Ferreras, Assembly Member Jose Peralta, New Visions Democratic Club President Yonel Letellier Sosa, and District Leader Dorothy Phelan, among other dignitaries, also attended the event. Juan's book has been very well received.

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education, Espanol

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education, Press

A top priority for Daniel Dromm in the New York City Council is to reduce class size. Daniel Dromm has the background, experience and record to be a leader for education reform. As a teacher with twenty-plus years in the classroom, he knows first-hand that class size is the most significant factor in a successful classroom. Compelling evidence demonstrates that reducing class size has a positive effect on student achievement overall and an especially significant impact on the education of inner-city children. Dromm has been a long-time advocate for reducing class size to help raise student achievement, especially in at-risk schools. Smaller classes improve classroom atmosphere, students receive more individualized attention and teachers have flexibility to use different instructional approaches and assignments.

As your city council representative, he will write legislation to reduce class size by increasing funding for additional teachers and more school construction throughout the city.

From Class Size Matters:
Reducing class size, particularly in the early grades, is one of the few educational strategies shown to increase learning and narrow the achievement gap between ethnic and racial groups.

•The Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the US Department of Education, concludes that class size reduction is one of only four, evidence-based reforms that have been proven to increase student achievement through rigorous, randomized experiments -- the "gold standard" of research.

•Studies from Tennessee, Wisconsin, and elsewhere demonstrate that students who are assigned to smaller classes in grades K-3rd do better in every way that can be measured: they score higher on tests, receive better grades, and exhibit improved attendance.

•Those students whose performance improves the most are those who need the most help: children from poor and minority backgrounds, who experience twice the gains as the average student. Alan Krueger of Princeton has estimated that reducing class size in the early grades shrinks the achievement gap by about 38%.

•Class size reduction is likely to have large public health benefits – with greater medical savings expected than increased spending on antibiotics, hospital buildings, or even vaccines-- with nearly two more years of life projected for students who were placed in smaller classes in the early grades.

•Smaller classes are also a very cost-effective strategy to lower the number of students who repeat grades. In Nashville schools, only 16.7% of students who were in smaller classes in the early grades were held back through 10th grade, compared to 43.5% of those who had been in regular-size classes.

•The benefits of class size reduction in the early grades last throughout a student's educational career. In 4th, 6th, and 8th grade, students who attended smaller classes in the early grades were significantly ahead of their regular-class peers in all subjects. By 8th grade, they were still almost a full year ahead of their peers.

•In high school, students who had been in smaller classes had significantly lower drop-out rates, higher grades, and received better results on their college entrance exams. After four years in a small class in the early grades, the graduation rate for free-lunch students more than doubled, and their likelihood of graduating equaled those who were not poor. For those who had attended a smaller class in grades K-3, the difference between black and white students taking college entrance exams was cut in half.

•National surveys of educators believe that class size reduction is the most effective method to improve the quality of teaching. In a 2008 survey, 76% of first year teachers said that reducing class size would be "a very effective" way of improving teacher quality, and 21% responding that it would be an “effective” method -- for a total of 97% -- far outstripping every other reform cited.

•In another national survey, 88% of teachers, and 85% of superintendents and principals agreed with this statement: "If the public schools finally got more money and smaller classes, they could do a better job." Again, their support for this improvement strategy far outstripped any other.

•A definitive study commissioned by the US Department of Education analyzed at the achievement levels of students in 2,561 schools across the nation, as measured by their performance on the national NAEP exams. The sample included at least 50 schools in each state, including large and small, urban and rural, affluent and poor areas. After controlling for student background, the only objective factor found to be correlated with higher student success as measured by test scores was class size –not school size, not teacher qualifications, nor any other variable that the could be identified. The gains from smaller classes in the upper grades surpassed the gains from smaller classes in the lower grades.

•A recent longitudinal analysis found that smaller classes in the 8th grade are associated with significantly higher levels of student engagement, with the expected economic benefits from reducing class size in urban schools nearly twice the estimated costs.

•A detailed observational study shows that when secondary students are place in smaller classes, much greater time is spent “on task” and focused on learning, with special benefits for low-achievers and far lower rates of negative behavior.

Photo Credit: nytimes.com

Labels: CommunityOrganizing, Education

Daniel Dromm visited the South Asian Youth Action (SAYA) Open House on Saturday, November 22. Based in Elmhurst, SAYA's mission is to create social change and opportunities for South Asian youth to realize their fullest potential.

Labels: CivilRights, CommunityOrganizing, Education, Youth

Less than one year from now, you will go into the voting booth and you will select who will represent you in the New York City Council. You're going to have to ask yourself when you vote in the primary in September and in the election in November, "Who will lead us toward a better tomorrow?"

We are at a crossroads in the history of New York City. Our economy is in danger. Our schools are not adequately educating our children. Our streets are dirtier, louder and more dangerous. And our political process is being taken over by corporate interests and self-serving career politicians.

I am running for City Council to make New York City a better place to live. I am running to build a better future for the children and families of Jackson Heights, Rego Park, LeFrak City, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Woodside and Corona.

As a public school teacher for the past twenty-four years, I know first-hand what is working in our education system and I know all too well what desperately needs fixing. As a community activist, I have been at the forefront of making sure that everyone has equal rights and a strong voice in our society. As a district leader, I work with elected officials, businesses, civic groups, and non-profit organizations to make our neighborhoods livable.

A vote for Daniel Dromm is a vote to bring the community together.

A vote for Daniel Dromm is for vote for better schools, cleaner and quieter streets, and safer neighborhoods.

Join me in making tomorrow better than today.

Sincerely, Daniel Dromm

Labels: CivilRights, CommunityOrganizing, EconomicDevelopment, Education, Voter Registration

Daniel Dromm, Democratic District Leader and City Council candidate, supports Democratic Presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama's commitment to education policy and public school reform.

Labels: Education, Obama

From Crains:
"Last Wednesday, the United Federation of Teachers took the unusual step of endorsing Daniel Dromm, a veteran New York City public school teacher who is a candidate for a Queens City Council seat in 2009. The union will not make the rest of its endorsements for races to be decided this fall until August."

From UFT website: In a strong and early show of support, Daniel Dromm is the only City Council candidate that UFT is endorsing this year.

Labels: Education, Endorsements

Daniel Dromm, a veteran New York City public school teacher, spoke before the United Federation of Teachers Task Force on School Governance on February 26, 2008. Held at the UFT’s Queens office, many elected officials and top educators attended the event. Mayoral control of NYC public schools is up for re-consideration in 2009.

Daniel Dromm (pictured above with UFT President Randi Weingarten) supports the continuance of mayoral control but with significant changes to oversight. Dromm proposes the creation of an independent board to oversee curriculum, and to serve as a watchdog over the chancellor. He stresses that the board’s membership should be composed mostly of parents or others with a vested interest in NYC's public schools.

"I understand that mayoral control of the schools has had its problems. But I also recall the dysfunctional Community School Boards. I am not suggesting a return to that system. I am advocating more meaningful parental involvement in our schools," Daniel Dromm said.

Dromm continued, "While the Chancellor has called for teacher and principal accountability, I believe what is needed most is chancellor accountability. Parents, teachers and principals have been shut out of the decision-making process and that's a shame. This can’t continue."

Daniel Dromm supports legislation that would give the City Council the right to confirm a mayoral nominee for chancellor. He believes this would lead to the chancellor being more responsive to the public's concerns. "The City Council should have a voice in the selection of the person who will control our schools," he stressed.

Additionally, Dromm supports restructuring the system to improve the functionality of local school district offices. "When I first started teaching I knew everyone in the district office. I knew where to go if I had a question and needed answers. Today, after 24 years of teaching, I am more confused than when I first began teaching because now these offices are not properly staffed. I can't even imagine how parents can navigate the current system."

Dromm’s testimony ended with a recommendation that legislators implement these necessary improvements before renewing mayoral control of our schools.

Labels: Education

From City Hall News: "Dromm, a public school teacher for the past 24 years, is positioning himself as the education candidate. What this district wants is a change in education. They want someone who knows the educational system,” he said. He has raised $31,666 so far, city campaign finance records show.

Labels: Education, Press

From Queens Chronicle: "The Jackson Heights Early Learning Center, for children ages 2 to 6, recently celebrated the opening of its new annex, where classes will begin later this month." LINK

Labels: Education