Parents step up fight with mayor over elite high school test
Asian-American parents claim their kids are being unfairly targeted by the mayor's plan.
Southwest Brooklyn’s Asian-American community, up in arms over Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposal to eliminate the do-or-die entrance exam for the city’s elite high schools, is busy planning its next move in the escalating fight.
A group of parents met with Assemblymember William Colton, who is supporting their efforts, at the United Progressive Democratic Club on Saturday morning to strategize methods to keep the entrance exam — called the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, or SHSAT — in place.
Nancy Tong, an aide to Colton, noted that any proposal to scrap the SHSAT would require the approval of the state legislature. She called on parents to flood lawmakers with phone calls and letters “so they know there is a voice here.”
Of the nine elite high schools in the New York City public schools system, eight use the SHSAT as the sole criteria for admission.