You hear a lot about the schools chancellor, but it's the seven appointees on the Board of Education that run the school system. Friday, the man at the helm, Bill Thompson, said the idea of a failing system is a myth, but he says the schools are still five years away from turning out highly competitive students. It's been 25 years since the New York City schools underwent so many changes. From overhauling special education and bi-lingual studies to ending social promotion. Outgoing Board of Education president Bill Thompson says four crisis level issues remain, starting with the retention of qualified teachers.
Salaries are the underlying problem.
Then there's the lack of school facilities. Followed by a lack of leadership. That important also. And the climbing drop out rate. We asked Thompson for a review, based on a scale of one to ten.