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Reema Amin

Reporter, Chalkbeat New York

Reema Amin covers New York City public schools. Before Chalkbeat, she covered city and state government for the Daily Press in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region and was a breaking news reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times. Reema received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in public affairs journalism from Columbia College Chicago.

Also known as the “festival of lights,” Diwali is observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and some Buddhists as a celebration of light over darkness and good over evil.
With just a month until the school year ends, families are scrambling to find alternate summer programs for their children.
The decision to start the new school year with steady budgets, however, doesn’t mean schools are completely immune from cuts.
For future school years, education department officials are bracing for some big expenses to comply with the law.
Mayor Eric Adams has proposed ending Promise NYC, which has provided free child care to 600 undocumented immigrant children.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams blasted the mayor’s approach to early childhood education, describing the system as “broken” and “in full crisis mode.
As the city expects another wave of newcomer immigrant families, educators are worried it will become even more challenging to support English learners.
In total, New York City schools will receive about 4% more in funding than last year.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s push for more charter schools in New York City emerged as one of the last items holding up the overdue state budget — and her keen interest puzzled many following the issue.
Two-thirds of that cut, or about $650 million, is the result of Adams’ decision to reduce the city’s contribution to the education department.
Lawmakers could solidify a final budget as early as this week, but charter schools have been a sticking point.
A state-appointed commission will present its recommendations this November — moving up the timeline by at least a few months. The role of New York’s Regents exams remains a big question.
In its third year, the program will again have 110,000 spots and will be open to any child in New York City — but there are a couple changes to the application process.
The education department’s spending per pupil has increased by 46%, in large part due to the billions in federal COVID aid the district received as enrollment has dipped.
The project involved counting up technology such as tablets, laptops, desktop computers, printers, and smartboards.
New features this summer include an effort to pair LGBTQ youth with affirming jobs and a small program to serve undocumented youth.
There might be more attention on this year’s state tests, following the spotlight on last year’s dip in national test scores.
The vote by the city’s 23-member board — largely comprised by mayoral appointees — is not the final step for the agency’s budget.
In one significant change, students who are already attending one of the city’s hundreds of DYCD-run after-school programs will also receive priority for Summer Rising.
Both the state Senate and Assembly called to remove Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal to allow New York City to open more than 100 new charter schools.
The seismic shift that made devices more accessible to students than ever before has now pushed some teachers to fold technology more often into their lesson plans.
The study comes after Mayor Eric Adams decided earlier this year to pause the expansion of the preschool program for 3-year-olds as planned under former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The move could boost enrollment at CUNY’s undergraduate schools and programs as college enrollment remains below pre-pandemic levels.
The needs are high as data shows worsening mental health among young people, including more students reporting thoughts of suicide.
Details are so far scarce on what “SYEP Pride” will look like, or what will define a safe and affirming workplace, but officials are hoping to reach “a few hundred” youth.
With the majority of the school year now over, school districts haven’t been able to apply for the grant money due to a lengthy bureaucratic process.
Although schools keep a record of devices, city watchdogs have criticized the education department for having no centralized system.
The office’s creation comes as the education department’s own early childhood office has faced intense scrutiny over the past several months under Adams’ leadership.
Banks revealed the plan Wednesday while outlining the financial costs of lowering newly required class sizes over the next five years.
Monday’s announcement represents the Adams administration’s gradual unpeeling of COVID-related rules established under former Mayor Bill de Blasio.