Contributing Writers: Azad Ali, Tangerine Clarke,
Nelson King, Vinette K. Pryce, Bert Wilkinson
GENERAL INFORMATION (718) 260-2500
Caribbean L 12 ife, June 4-10, 2021
By New York City Schools
Chancellor Meisha Porter
This year has demanded
that all New York City families
and students do so many
things differently — they’ve
had to think differently,
learn differently, and connect
differently with teachers,
peers, and the whole
school community. At the
Department of Education,
we know we also have to
think differently as we look
towards the summer. For the
first time ever, we are inviting
all students to join us for
a free, fun-filled, enriching
summer program: Summer
Rising.
This year, we will serve
any student in grades K-12
in July and August who
wants to participate, and I
am excited to be partnered
with the Department of
Youth & Community Development
to reimagine what
summer can be. Our children’s
days will be filled with
innovative academic support,
social-emotional learning,
and engaging enrichment
activities. These programs
will be designed by
school teams in partnership
with local community-based
organizations and offered in
hundreds of sites across all
five boroughs.
After all the trauma and
disruptions caused by the
pandemic over the past 15
months, our children need a
chance to reboot their education
in fun and supportive
ways as we approach the
full reopening of our schools
in September. It is time to
begin regaining what the
pandemic took away. Summer
Rising is an opportunity
to do just that, creating
spaces for students to learn,
grow, play, and explore the
City around them — from
field trips to Central Park
and museums to dance and
art classes.
Summer Rising will also
provide an enormous relief to
families by keeping children
safe, supported, and productive
this summer. After
enduring months when so
many of our students were
isolated from their teachers
and peers, the opportunity
to rebuild those faceto
face relationships will do
so much to support their
healing process and prepare
them for returning to school
in the fall.
All K–8 students participating
in programs will have
access to academic classes
and enrichment programming,
including field trips,
arts activities and outdoor
recreation. Students will
also engage in daily community
building and social
emotional learning activities.
We know some students
with disabilities may require
additional supports to participate
in Summer Rising,
and those supports will be
provided as needed.
In addition, Summer
Rising is a chance for high
school students to complete
courses in progress, make
up credits to march towards
graduation, and participate
in academic acceleration
opportunities. They will
also be able to engage in
important work experience
and internship opportunities,
like the Summer Youth
Employment Program.
As always, health and
safety remain a top priority.
Summer Rising will follow
the rigorous health protocols
that succeeded in keeping
our schools among the
safest places in the city this
school year. To support these
efforts, parents will need to
complete a testing consent
form for their child so we
can keep everyone healthy
and safe!
Summer Rising will be the
start of revitalizing the powerful
joy of learning together
as we head toward a strong
reopening of our schools and
warm homecoming for our
students in the fall. I strongly
urge the families of every
child who can join us over
the summer to sign up now.
To learn more about the
options available for your
child or to sign up, go to nyc.
gov/summerrising. All programs
are free, in-person,
and have something to offer
for everyone.
By Kevin Parker
With the ascent of President
Joe Biden and Democratic majorities
in both houses, including
my constituent Charles Schumer
becoming Senate Majority Leader,
I feel so grateful that sanity has
returned to Washington. Already
they demonstrated this rationality
with the American Rescue
Plan, providing much-needed
relief to millions. And with negotiations
for the next stimulus bill
well under way, the President and
Congress need to do what my
family does when I try to cook:
add SALT.
Or, to be more precise, end
the $10,000 cap on the State and
Local Tax deduction, which allows
people to deduct these taxes from
their federal taxable income.
What used to be a fairly noncontroversial
deduction, SALT was
weaponized in 2017, when Republicans
in Congress passed the Tax
Cut and Jobs Act that capped the
amount of taxes deductible. This
cap was a punishment to states
with higher taxes, who tend to
vote Democrat, affecting deductibility
of not only income taxes
but also property taxes, which
outside the city primarily go to
funding schools.
The punitive SALT cap now
costs New Yorkers about $12.3
billion annually, and may end up
costing us $15 billion by 2025.
This must stop. It is a matter of
fundamental fairness.
The SALT deduction helps balance
out the fact that the federal
government already soaks our
state, taking much more than it
gives. As it stands, New York State
ranks dead last in the amount of
money we get back from the federal
government versus what we
give. In 2019, the net balance of
payment was almost negative $23
billion. That comes out to every
man, woman, and child in New
York giving $1,172 more to the
federal government than they get
back. For comparison, Kentucky
receives the equivalent of $14,000
per person from the federal government,
no doubt thanks to “fiscal
conservative” Senator Mitch
McConnell. And the pandemic did
not sway Washington to change
its tune: even while New York
City was the worldwide COVID
epicenter, we received emergency
aid of under $12,000 per case,
compared to over $470,000 per
case in West Virginia.
The SALT cap is also putting a
knife through economic development
in New York State, at a time
when that is vital to our recovery.
According to a study by the state,
for every dollar New Yorkers have
to pay thanks to the SALT cap,
we lose $1.17 in economic activity
in the state. Depending on
the methodology, that adds up
to a loss of $14.4 billion to $24.5
billion in economic activity each
year. So even at the low end, we
are losing the equivalent of the
entire GDP of Jamaica. Part and
parcel with the loss in economic
activity is a loss in jobs, to the
tune of 107,000 in seven years.
So with at least one more stimulus
bill in sight, I urge Washington
to swiftly put an end to
the cruel SALT cap. I know that
Senate Majority Leader Schumer
recognizes the importance of this
and I hope that, to quote another
Brooklynite, he will do the right
thing and ensure that the SALT
cap goes.
OP-EDS
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR are welcome from all readers. They should be addressed care of this newspaper to the Editor,
Caribbean-Life Publications, 1 MetroTech Center North, Brooklyn, New York 11201, or sent via e-mail to caribbeanlife@
schnepsmedia.com. All letters, including those submitted via e-mail, MUST be signed and the individual’s verifiable
address and telephone number included. Note that the address and telephone number will NOT be published and the
name will be published or withheld on request. No unsigned letters can be accepted for publication. The editor reserves
the right to edit all submissions.
Founded 1990 • Published by Brooklyn Courier Life LLC
A DIVISION OF SCHNEPS MEDIA
Corporate Headquarters: One Metrotech Center North, Suite 1001, Brooklyn, NY 11201
PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER: Victoria Schneps-Yunis
CEO & CO-PUBLISHER: Joshua Schneps
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Ralph D’Onofrio
EDITOR EMERITUS: Kenton Kirby
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Kevin Williams
This newspaper is not responsible for typographical errors in ads beyond the cost of the space occupied
by the error. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2021 by Brooklyn Courier Life LLC. Caribbean
Life is protected by Federal copyright law. Each issue of Caribbean Life is registered with the Library
of Congress, Washington, D.C. The Caribbean Life, its advertisements, articles and photographs, may
not be reproduced, either in whole or part, without permission in writing from the publisher except
brief portions for purposes of review or commentary consistent with the law.
A summer of renewal
for our students
Congress needs to
add the SALT
Photo via Getty Images
/schnepsmedia.com
