Gotham Gazette

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Gov. Cuomo's education panel yesterday released a report that calls for expanding pre-K across the state, among other things. It lays out a series of hurdles to the expansion - including a lack of certified teachers and the need for infrastructure improvements - and pushes for allowing charter schools to offer pre-K. Mayor de Blasio declined to comment on the panel's charter recommendation. Meanwhile, several members of the Black, Hispanic and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus, including seven lawmakers from outside of the city, backed the mayor's plan to tax the wealthy to pay for universal pre-K. It's unclear whether the bill pushing his plan will advance in the Assembly, and Speaker Silver said the Council would need to approve a home rule message first. Well designed pre-K classes result in many long term benefits for students, including higher graduation rates and better earning in the workplace.

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