Posted today on The Borrero Report:
 
Thompson Calls Bloomberg's High School Graduation Rates "A disgrace"  By Gerson BorreroNew York, NY, June 23, 2009City Comptroller and Democratic Mayoral Candidate William C. Thompson did not mince words when reacting to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein claim, yesterday, that New York City's four-year high school graduation rate rose to a new high of 60.7 percent in 2008, and that the graduation rate among English language learners rose more than 10 percentage points between 2007 and 2008.  Bloomberg and Klein added that Black and Hispanic students continue to narrow the graduation gap with their white and Asian peers."Only 1/3 of English language learners are graduating in four years, over 75% of special education students do not graduate in four years, and black and Hispanic students continue to lag behind white and Asian students in graduation rates,"  responded Thompson's campaign. Thompson, who served as the Brooklyn representative to the old Board of Education and it's President for five consecutive terms, added, "Also, less than half of all Latino students are graduating in four years.  These numbers are not a success, they're a disgrace."In his reponse to The Borrero Report, Thompson concluded by saying, "Mayor Bloomberg should ask any of the thousands of students and parents that have been short changed by misguided Department of Education policies if they see any reason to celebrate these statistics."