NYPD announces stop-and-frisk training changes

  Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK -- The New York City police department is making changes to officer training and supervision amid an outcry over its stop, question and frisk tactics.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly sent a letter to city council speaker Christine Quinn detailing the changes. Quinn has been a vocal critic of the policy. Last year, more than 600,000 people were stopped, mostly black and Hispanic men.

Kelly says the department has reiterated its policy that prohibits racial profiling. A new course details how to conduct a lawful stop. More than 1,500 officers are receiving the training, and more will follow.

The news Thursday comes a day after a federal judge gave class-action status to a lawsuit by people who had been stopped. The judge said the department's attitude was "deeply troubling."

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New Year's Eve transit changes

  Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- If you are heading to the city for New Year's Eve there are some transit changes you should know about.

SUBWAYS
Station entrances in the Times Square area will be closed, so customers should travel to 57th or 59th Streets and walk south. We recommend that customers purchase their MetroCards in advance.

LIRR
There are 10 additional westbound evening trains on New Year's Eve and 14 additional eastbound trains from Penn Station during the early-morning hours for New Year's revelers returning from the City on New Year's Day, Sunday, Jan. 1.

METRO NORTH
Will operate on a special Saturday schedule; for New Year's Eve revelers, extra inbound afternoon/evening service and all-night outbound service will be provided on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Lines. There will also be additional service West of Hudson, on the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley Lines.

NJ TRANSIT
Rail will run on a weekend schedule, with extra evening NY-bound trips on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and Morris & Essex Lines. After midnight, special late-night trains will operate on most rail lines. Buses will be on a Saturday schedule with additional service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in the evening on select routes. And expanded bus service will be provided from the Port Authority Bus Terminal between midnight and 5:30 a.m. on selected routes.

You can find more information at:
http://www.mta.info
http://www.njtransit.com

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Mass Transit changes for Monday

  Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- Some mass transit changes for Monday you'll need to know about.

New York City subways will operate on a Saturday schedule on Monday.

Buses will run on a Sunday schedule.

Metro-North will be on a Saturday schedule, while the Long Island Railroad is on a normal schedule.

New Jersey Transit is on an enhanced weekend schedule, with extra "peak period" service on select lines.

Bus schedules vary by route.

PATH trains will follow a Saturday schedule.

Alternate side parking rules are suspended on Monday, meters do not have to be paid.

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New Changes Planned for the New York Schools by the State's New Governor

Many states are experiencing the shock of new governors who are breaking the mold of former elected officials. In past generations, new state governors created a transitional governing period during which they and their staffs could get up to speed on the operations and issues of their states' governments. In 2007, many new governors are hitting the ground running. Transitional periods seem to be nonexistent with the newly elected governors barely settling into the governor's residence before making changes within their states.

New York's new democratic governor is such an elected official. Governor Eliot Spitzer was swore in on January 1st, taking his oath of office and delivering his inaugural speech. By the end of January, he already has formulated new plans to put the New York schools and its students back on the road to success.

Spitzer's major push is his series of "Contracts for Excellence", which are methods and programs to improve the New York schools and the education its students receive.

One initiative will provide a significant increase in state aid to poorly performing districts within the New York schools. Of course, this increase in funding has strings attached that the governor believes will set a new course for success for the problem schools. New York schools receiving the extra funding must justify any improvements to their facilities. They also must set goals for their New York schools' students' performance. If these New York schools meet their goals, they will receive special recognition for their success, along with the possibility of receiving even more funding. Failing to meet their goals, however, means these New York schools risk funding penalties and the removal of superintendents, principals, and even school district board members.

A second initiative from Spitzer is report cards for New York schools' leadership. In a recent speech at the State Education building in Albany, Spitzer stated that currently only New York schools' students and their schools receive report cards. Soon, the New York schools' leadership will begin receiving annual report cards that will track the performance of district superintendents and individual school principals from year-to-year. For the first time, the New York schools will be able to rigorously compare and evaluate their performance with the report cards following them from one school district to another within the state of New York.

Other initiatives under Spitzer's Contracts for Excellence for the New York schools are:

o A universal pre-kindergarten for all four-year-olds within the New York schools' area by 2010. All children deserve the opportunity to get a head start on education through this uniquely designed preschool period of acclimatization.

o The class sizes in the New York schools are much too large, making students in large classrooms difficult to teach and learning next to impossible for the children. Spitzer sees smaller class sizes as a must for educational success within the New York schools.

o Spitzer wants the cap on public charter schools within the New York schools to be raised from the current 100 to 250. Many see these public school academies as the solution to poor performing traditional New York schools. The charter schools also will be required to meet their own "Contract for Excellence" every five years in order to remain open.

o The governor wants to appoint a "Children's Cabinet" to assist with and guide the improvement efforts of the New York schools. The cabinet will be comprised of regents, education experts, and the state education commissioner.

Lastly, Spitzer announced his appointment of Manny Rivera as his new deputy secretary for education. Rivera is the former superintendent of schools in Rochester, New York.

Though Spitzer did not provide any details of how his proposals will be implemented or from where the funding will come, he did note that his plans will be meticulously formulated in detail during the creation of the state's budget proposal to the legislature.

Patricia Hawke is an expert researcher and writer on real estate topics such as economics, credit improvement tips, home selling advice and home buying preparations and education for relocating families. For more information please New York Schools [http://www.schoolsk-12.com/New York/index.html]