The Integration Coalition Testifies at The New York City Council Committee on Education- Advancing Diversity and Equity in NYC Public Schools

6.18.25 at 4:00 PM- My name is Rochelle Du, and today I am speaking on behalf of the Integration Coalition, a coalition of various organizations and advocates formed to further New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) efforts in addressing school segregation. New York City public schools continue to be one of the most segregated school systems in the country. With the rise of harmful national rhetoric and students’ well-being on the line, it is becoming increasingly clear that NYCPS and City leaders must continue to commit publicly towards ensuring that equity, access, and inclusion are centered in policies and practices and that they sustain their policies and programming that seek to honor and uplift the vast diversity present in NYC’s schoolchildren. 

Over the past 3 years, this mayoral administration has not demonstrated itself as the ally NYC's most vulnerable students need, especially on the topic of school segregation. Under the current administration’s leadership, NYCPS has reinstated harmful policies and programs that reinforce segregation. Just in enrollment changes alone, they expanded segregated Gifted and Talented programming while ignoring guidance on adopting schoolwide enrichment models, reinstated previously paused selection criteria for selective middle school programs, and made the pool of students who receive first priority to highly sought-after, screened public high schools much smaller and exclusionary particularly toward English Language Learners and students with disabilities. 

The transition away from combating school segregation holistically is also present in the constant fight to equitably fund schools and programming. Advocates, educators, students, parents, and much of the City Council have had to fight relentlessly in recent years to preserve funding that ensures access to quality education for New York City’s most marginalized students, such as Multilingual Learners/English Language Learners, students in temporary housing, and students with disabilities. And as of May 2025, the State has approved changes to the Foundation Aid formula that would result in NYC schools receiving nearly $350 million less. Now more than ever, we need City Leadership to support crucial services, like literacy programs and mental health supports, for NYC’s most vulnerable students will be at risk. 

Meanwhile, funding for initiatives aimed at advancing school integration is noticeably absent. It has either been quietly abandoned during the transition between mayoral administrations and the pandemic—such as the modest $1 million allocated to support five school districts in developing diversity plans—or slashed outright, as seen with the $202 million earmarked for a K-12 culturally responsive curriculum, which was among the first to be cut in 2022. 

The coalition firmly believes that this administration has not done nearly enough to address segregation and its harmful consequences. However, it is also important to acknowledge the policies that have sustained progress, reaffirming their purpose and underscoring the need to maintain them. For example, the changes to middle school and high school admissions, such as the end of individual high schools ranking student applicants with no public oversight, as well as the elimination of inequitable selection criteria for both middle and high schools, like state test scores and attendance, must be protected. Further, we are encouraged by steps to include diverse curricula offerings through NYCPS’s Hidden Voices series. 

In fall of 2021, the Integration Coalition wrote recommendations for the then-incoming administration's first 100 days in office. Our recommendations were guided by a call for solidarity as a means to combat the harmful policies and practices that accompany a scarcity mindset. We define a scarcity mindset as perpetuating the falsehood that there are not enough opportunities for everyone in the school system; therefore, students and families must fight each other for them. We define solidarity as a remedy to the perpetuation of the scarcity mindset. 

With the nation’s political climate changing once again and many students no longer feeling safe, it is the NYCPS and City leaders’ responsibility to continue striving toward closing the disparities in access, opportunities, and resources, offering a system that values solidarity, abundance, and inclusion. As a coalition, we stress that there must be additional efforts made to prioritize vulnerable students in enrollment, create the conditions and accountability structures necessary for Real Integration, and develop community outreach that elevates the voices of parents, students, and community members in decision-making processes. 

The Integration Coalition is facilitated by New York Appleseed and welcomes any questions and can be contacted at rdu@nyappleseed.org. 

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