When I was reading Jelani Cobb’s article Class Notes I couldn’t help but think of my cousin. Christina works in a school in Sunset Park, and the demographic of the school is almost entirely students that need more help than they are getting. In her small class, of about 25 students, just about all of them live in poverty, have mental-health issues, or suffer some sort of disability. She does everything in her power to help these students, but her school simply does not have the resources to give these students the help they need. She cries for these students because she knows they need, and deserve, more than they have.

The problem is money in New York’s education budget is not endless, and “shining star” schools – such as the specialized high schools get priority for fund. While I know New York’s specialized schools are essential, as I graduated from one myself, and they need the funding; students in schools that need the help simply to graduate tend to get lost in the flow. When these students get left behind, they tend to get discouraged, act out, drop out, and the city losses because education rates go down which can in turn bring unemployment and poverty rates up.

In the stories Christina tells me, as well as reading this article, it is clear the public school system is in desperate need of a shake up. If New York doesn’t find an education fix more schools like Jamaica will be forced to close, and the students in the city will be worse off.