WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES AUGUST 2, 2018 13
SUPPORT
YOUR LOCAL
NEWSPAPERS!
How disappointing that recent major
staff layoff s at the New York Daily
News comes aft er celebrating 98 years
of publishing in June.
We live in one of the few remaining
free societies, with a wealth of
information sources available for
any citizen to access. However, sadly,
most American cities and suburbs
are down to one local daily or weekly
newspaper. Most papers have to deal
with continued increasing costs for
newsprint, delivery and distribution
along with reduced advertising revenues
and declining readership.
These financial challenges on
maintaining the bottom line have
also resulted in less resources being
devoted to investigative reporting
and a greater reliance on wire service
stories. As a result, original newspaper
content continues to shrink.
There has also been major growth
in weekly papers based in neighborhoods
all around the fi ve boroughs of
NYC and Long Island. Neighborhood
weekly newspapers like our very own
Queens Courier, Ridgewood Times
and other Schneps Communications
publications provide real coverage of
local community news stories usually
overlooked by other media.
There are still many like myself
and others who have a continued
thirst for news provided by either
daily or weekly newspapers covering
Washington, Albany, NYC and
Queens Boro Hall.
I continue to be grateful that the
Queens Courier aff ords me an opportunity
to express my views, as well as
diff ering opinions.
Please join me along with your
neighbors in continue reading the
Queens Courier, Ridgewood Times
and other Schneps Communications
publications. Patronize their advertisers;
they provide the revenues
necessary to keep them in business.
Let them know you saw their ad. This
is what helps keep our neighbors
employed, the local economy growing
and provide space on a daily or
weekly basis for your favorite or not
so favorite letter writers.
In the marketplace of ideas, let us
hope there continues to be room for
everyone including the Daily News,
our own Queens Courier and other
Schneps Communications publications
regardless of the price. They fi ll
a valuable niche in the information
highway.
Larry Penner, Great Neck
NO NEED TO
GENERALIZE
PRO-LIFE
SUPPORTERS
In his July 26 letter, Robert LaRosa
attacked a July 5 pro-life letter from
Frederick Bedell by stating that
he and other pro-life people are
against “healthcare. childcare, gun
control, education and protecting
the environment.”
Making broad generalizations of a
group of people without providing support
to back up his charges is similar
to claims President Trump made about
Mexicans and other groups. Both are
wrong and should be denounced.
I am pro-life and have spent time
this last month volunteering in a
nursing home and a food pantry.
Conservatives are not against helping
people. We are just against doing it in
foolish ways.
Lenny Rodin, Forest Hills
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at QNS.com. You can also send a letter
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Editor, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY
11361. All letters are subject to editing.
Names will be withheld upon request,
but anonymous letters will not be
considered for publication. The views
expressed in all letters and comments
are not necessarily those of this publication
or its staff .
LETTERS AND COMMENTS
Keeping city's specialized high schools special
BY STATE SENATOR
TOBY ANN STAVISKY
I am a vigorous, unapologetic
supporter of the specialized high
schools. To eliminate the Specialized
High School Admissions Test (SHSAT)
is to throw the proverbial bathwater
out with the baby. For the instant gratifi
cation of improving ethnic diversity,
the chancellor ignores the real problem—
lack of student achievement in the
early grades. Too oft en, when there is a
problem it easier to off er distractions
when we should be looking at the big
picture and fi xing the problem.
Unfortunately, n either the Mayor
nor the chancellor met with the
parents, local community leaders or
elected offi cials. I was notifi ed on a
Saturday morning in April two hours
prior to the Mayor’s announcement.
It would have been preferable to work
together to improve all schools.
It’s not too late. There are several
things the Mayor and Chancellor can
do. Our gift ed and talented programs
prove to be an eff ective way of challenging
young people. By recognizing
more students at an early age, they
would be prepared for high schools.
Instead of parents “opting in” for
children to be tested before entering
third grade, I introduced legislation
to make the test automatic unless the
parent “ops out”. In addition, gift ed
and talented programs should be
off ered in all 32 school districts.
The DREAM Specialized High
Schools Institute, created by the Department
of Education (DOE) prepares
middle school children for the exams—
in a very limited way. There are two
programs, one aft er school and one
during the summer and fall, prior to
the exam in 20 locations. There were
approximately 607 seats last year. A
second program, the SHSAT School
Day Initiative can be found in 50 middle
schools. Both of these programs
must be expanded to all school districts
for all students who are eligible,
considering the fact that more than
28,000 middle school students apply
for approximately 5,700 seats.
Another suggestion is to improve
outreach to economically and racially
under-served communities. Many
parents are not aware that these
schools exists because they do not
have access to these programs.
In addition, we should provide
test preparation for all sixth grade
students, as well as practice SHSATs.
People scrimp and save so they can
send their children for test preparation
classes. I believe the City should
do this free of charge. Lastly, we
should establish more specialized
high schools.
It has been said, “Don’t lower the
bridge. Raise the water.” I believe we
must keep the test because SHSAT
does not recognize race, gender, religion
or ethnicity. It is still the most
objective method to determine admission.
The solution is to improve
K-8, identifying youngsters at an
early age and providing resources.
There are no quick fi xes.
Senator Stavisky is a graduate of the
Bronx H.S. of Science, the parent of
a Science graduate and has taught
at Brooklyn Technical HS. She is
the Ranking Member of the Senate
Higher Education Committee.