While New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio doesn’t even appear on Monday’s Monmouth poll of Democratic contenders, he’s not faring very well at home, either. Of course, he’s out on the campaign trail, but a high-level panel he appointed has just proposed doing away with all “gifted” and “talented” programs in the city’s public schools in an effort to desegregate them.

JUST IN: A panel appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio proposes eliminating all gifted programs in order to desegregate schools https://t.co/rWIQy326TK — NYT Metro (@NYTMetro) August 26, 2019

NEW: New York City should integrate its school system by eliminating its gifted and talented programs, a high-level panel appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio recommended https://t.co/4CuEeZbM9x — Eliza Shapiro (@elizashapiro) August 26, 2019

De Blasio has the power to eliminate gifted and talented classes + most screens for admission. This could be one of the most high-stakes decisions of his tenure, and a test of his willingness to disrupt the system in order to integrate ithttps://t.co/4CuEeZbM9x — Eliza Shapiro (@elizashapiro) August 26, 2019

We won't know what the mayor decides for a while. But in the meantime, NYC is likely to see an intracity fight about the cost of keeping white and middle-class families in its school system. If you thought the specialized HS debate was intense…https://t.co/4CuEeZbM9x — Eliza Shapiro (@elizashapiro) August 26, 2019

It's rare in government to appoint a task force to study a thorny issue – and then have that group come back and suggest you blow up the system. Important to note the group wants NYC to expand magnet schools/enrichment programs instead of G+T, screenshttps://t.co/4CuEeZbM9x — Eliza Shapiro (@elizashapiro) August 26, 2019

The New York Times reports:

For years, New York City has essentially maintained two parallel public school systems. A group of selective schools and programs geared to students labeled gifted and talented is filled mostly with white and Asian children. The rest of the system is open to all students and is predominantly black and Hispanic. Now, a high-level panel appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio is recommending that the city do away with most of these programs in an effort to desegregate the system, which has 1.1 million students and is by far the largest in the country.

stock up on popcorn https://t.co/xVCHpDmYra — Just Karl (@justkarl) August 26, 2019

This is a disgrace. What incentives are there to be anything more than mediocre? — Howard Beal (@HowardBealisMad) August 26, 2019

If you can’t fix the broken schools make the good ones equally bad. Hope that will quiet things down. Wonderful. — Mike McD (@MickGMick) August 26, 2019

Why not try improving the overall quality of education first. Don’t penalize the best students. — Hudsonette (@hudsonette) August 26, 2019

Excuse me. . . what? — Michele Blood (@BloodBrief) August 26, 2019

Race to the bottom. Get out while you can. — bob desmond jr (@rldesmondjr) August 26, 2019

Great now everyone can be equally mediocre — Todd Donnelly (@FunkyLowNotes) August 26, 2019

That will solve all of the educational problems! Libs ruin everything they touch. — Big Sky (@blackfootmender) August 26, 2019

That is the stupidest solution. — Ann Kasper (@Ann_Kasper) August 26, 2019

All of our classes will now be gifted programs. — Bit Wonk (@bitwonk) August 26, 2019

@BilldeBlasio has just to put a knife in the heart of the few good public schools in NYC. It will do nothing to fix the broken ones. #Worst #mayor ever. #progressives suck. — Steph (@McQueenS44) August 26, 2019

“Equality”= a race to the bottom — Ward Hatcher (@Ward_Hatcher) August 26, 2019

Note to self: Never, ever hire anyone who was appointed by Bill de Blasio, they're dumb as a box of rocks. — Komrade Pinkachu (@bob_hoke) August 26, 2019

We’ll have to wait for the mayor’s wisdom on this issue when he gets a break from campaigning.

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