GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

Running for: City Council, District 1, Manhattan

Political Party: Democratic

Most recent job: Restaurant owner

Web site: ArthurGregory.org

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1. Have you been endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers? No

2. Have you received campaign contributions from the following education-related political action committees?

Democrats for Education Reform No
United Federation of Teachers No
Council of School Supervisors and Administrators No
New York Education Voters No
Educational Justice PAC No

3. Do you have children in the public school system? No

4. Do you support programs like Teaching Fellows and Teach for America? Yes, with reservations

5. Do you support efforts to stop the growth of charter schools?  Yes, with reservations

6. Would you preserve school report cards as they are now?  No

7. Do you believe test scores should be a factor in determining whether teachers receive tenure?  Yes, with reservations

8. Do you support the 2009 law giving the mayor control of the public schools? Yes, but there should be more checks and balances limiting the mayor’s power

9. What letter grade would you give the city’s public schools right now? B+

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10. In the last eight years, have the city’s schools improved, stayed the same, or worsened?
The schools have mostly stayed the same but have become overcrowded because of the increase in population in the district.

11. Do you support Joel Klein remaining chancellor of the city’s schools? No

If not, who would you suggest to replace him? Not sure specifically but it should be an experienced educator not a politician.

12. What’s an appropriate cap for charter schools, or should they exist at all (the current cap is 200 statewide)? There should be no cap but each school should be evaluated on a case by case basis.

13. What’s the best way to improve a struggling public school? Struggling in what way? Some are overcrowded, some need more or better teachers, some are dangerous. Again there is not one solution but must be solved on a case by case basis.

14. What’s the single greatest problem facing the schools in your district and what specific policy would you propose to combat it? Overcrowding. The two new schools downtown will help in the short term but we need more schools for the longer term.