Editorial: New principal, new hope

There is a new principal at C.E.S. 73, and with that, a new approach.

Mary Simone, an educator for over 30 years, assumed control of the school last August. A first time principal, she has already begun to bridge the gap between parents and school officials.

Unlike her predecessor, Ms. Simone has created a welcoming atmosphere in the school. Parents rave about her compassion and dedication. Special events, such as a surprise visit from Yankees manager Joe Torre, helped garner even more approval.

Improvements, no matter how small, are great. However, like her predecessor, Ms. Simone faces an uphill climb. As with one-third of the students in the city’s 1,100 public schools, C.E.S. 73 is considered failing by educational standards. On last spring’s state and citywide math and reading tests, C.E.S. 73’s students presented less than stellar scores. However, the number placed in Level 1—the lowest failure level—was lower than the same number in Level 1 in 2001 Parents understand that Ms. Simone faces several obstacles, such as cuts in the school budget and a shortage of teachers, but they still hold out hope.

They want clean, safe schools. They want better test scores, and they want to be involved.

Ms. Simone wants all this and more. She believes that if a school is to succeed, then everyone — teacher, parent and student alike — must be willing to roll up their sleeves and pitch in to help.

The Horizon knows there are no miracle cures for what ails most District 9 schools. We realize if Ms. Simone does manage to improve performance at C.E.S. 73 it will come over time. So we’ll wait. So far she’s making the right decision—we applaud her.