FIRST LADY, JUSTICE IN TOWN: First Lady Jill Biden joined Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor for a visit at Bronx Children’s Museum to commemorate the recent opening of the museum's new permanent location and its multicultural education programming for the local community. Biden was invited by Sotomayor — who has been a long-term supporter of the museum in her native Bronx located along the Harlem River in Mill Pond Park — to visit and tour the museum and meet with second grade students at P.S. 55 who participate in an after-school arts program at the museum as well as Denise Rosario Adusei, the museum’s executive director, and actress and author Sonia Manzano. The students performed an original song ahead of the tour. Biden praised community colleges and spoke about her background as a community college educator. “I teach English...and I know you have lots of great community colleges in the state of New York and a lot in the city," she told the students while greeting them. "So it's a great place to get an education and it's so nice to all of you." The group visited exhibits, including an interactive 35-foot-long exhibit with a miniature version of the Bronx’s Old Croton Aqueduct to teach kids about waterways as well as The Block, an arts and culture area that recreates a local neighborhood that includes a casita (a small house that functions as a community gathering place for the Puerto Rican community in New York City), a community garden and a farm stand. — Madina Touré HOUSING: City Council Member Rafael Salamanca, chair of the body’s land use committee, voiced support Wednesday for reviving the controversial 421-a tax incentive — as there remains little appetite among lawmakers in Albany to approve a new version of the program. At an event on land use and housing issues hosted by the law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, Salamanca said he had hoped the state budget deal would include a revised 421-a or similar program. “We need to build more housing,” he said. “It’s obvious that we are in a housing crisis in the city of New York. 421-a, yes, we do build market-rate, but it’s also an opportunity to build affordable housing, which is very much needed.” He added, “We missed that opportunity in this budget process.” State legislators who would offer similar support for a new version of 421-a, at least publicly, have been hard to come by. Prominent lawmakers including Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris have argued the incentive, which expired last June after lawmakers declined to pass a revised version, was a giveaway to developers and generated too little truly affordable housing. It’s nonetheless a key priority for Adams this session. — Janaki Chadha SOLUTIONS NOT SUSPENSIONS: A legislative hearing Wednesday opened the floor for discussions surrounding legislation revamping the state’s approach to discipline in school. Among those to appear before lawmakers on Wednesday afternoon was education commissioner Betty Rosa, several students who have experienced or been threatened with suspension and New York State United Teachers president Melinda Person. The hearing was held surrounding “Judith Kaye Solutions Not Suspensions Act,” which is a bill that would regulate the way suspensions are dealt with in the school setting. Students from New York City and Long Island spoke about the negative impact suspensions had on them and their peers, calling on the state to pass the legislation that would prevent suspensions on lower level misconduct. Rosa and Person said they agree there needs to be some changes to current education law surrounding discipline, but they would like to ensure that school staff have the tools needed to discipline students in extreme measures. They also called for the rules that apply to traditional public schools apply to charter schools as well. — Katelyn Cordero EDUCATION: KIPP NYC Public Schools — a network of 18 charter schools serving children in kindergarten through 12th grade — has appointed Alicia T. Johnson as its first-ever chief executive officer. KIPP NYC is part of KIPP, the largest charter network in the United States. Johnson started her career at KIPP NYC in 2007 helping to lead “KIPP To College" (now known as "KIPP Forward"), an alumni program. She also served as managing director of college services and managing director for data and operations before becoming chief operating officer and then president. “From the moment I began my career at KIPP NYC 16 years ago, I knew I had found my purpose — building a better tomorrow,” Johnson said in a statement. “Grounding that vision in hard work, a commitment to service, equitable practices, and high-quality education has been, and will continue to be, the key driver in the success of our organization." — Madina Touré
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