Bianca Fortis

New York

Education reporter, @NYSFocus. Previous: @ProPublica, @columbiajourn, @chronline. Occasional tap dancer. Nuyorican, former Floridian. 📩 [email protected]

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Articles

Bill to loosen ed standards circulates in Albany

2 weeks ago | thedailystar.com | Bianca Fortis

New York lawmakers are considering weakening the state Education Department’s recent guidelines on yeshivas and other nonpublic schools, New York Focus has learned. Those schools face a looming deadline — June 30 — to prove they offer a “substantially equivalent” education to the state’s public schools, under regulations issued in 2022. A draft bill circulating the legislature would loosen those rules and potentially delay the deadline for some schools.
Bill to Loosen Education Standards Quietly Circulates in Albany

3 weeks ago | shorturl.at | Bianca Fortis

At New York Focus, our central mission is to help readers better understand how New York really works. If you think this article succeeded, please consider supporting our mission and making more stories like this one possible. New York is an incongruous state. We’re home to fabulous wealth — if the state were a country, it would have the tenth largest economy in the world — but also the highest rate of wealth inequality. We’re among the most diverse – but also the most segregated.
New York’s Teacher Misconduct Cases Face Years-Long Delays, Leaving…

4 weeks ago | nysfocus.com | Bianca Fortis

A New York Focus investigation finds that the state can take up to seven years to resolve complaints against educators.
Lawmakers Push for Fairer School Funding, Higher Aid

1 month ago | nysfocus.com | Bianca Fortis

At New York Focus, our central mission is to help readers better understand how New York really works. If you think this article succeeded, please consider supporting our mission and making more stories like this one possible. New York is an incongruous state. We’re home to fabulous wealth — if the state were a country, it would have the tenth largest economy in the world — but also the highest rate of wealth inequality. We’re among the most diverse – but also the most segregated.
'The News Is Not Good': New York Students Show Little Improvement…

2 months ago | nysfocus.com | Bianca Fortis

At New York Focus, our central mission is to help readers better understand how New York really works. If you think this article succeeded, please consider supporting our mission and making more stories like this one possible. New York is an incongruous state. We’re home to fabulous wealth — if the state were a country, it would have the tenth largest economy in the world — but also the highest rate of wealth inequality. We’re among the most diverse – but also the most segregated.
Green Funding Feint, Foundation Aid Update, and Lobbying Fines

Jan 24, 2025 | nysfocus.com | Bianca Fortis |Colin Kinniburgh |Chris Bragg

I hope this article helped you better answer the question that guides all of our journalism: Who runs New York? Before you click away, please consider supporting our work and making more stories like this one possible. New York state is standing at a crossroads for climate action. After passing one of the nation’s most ambitious climate laws in 2019, the state is lagging far behind on its targets, struggling to meet deadlines to build renewable energy and clean up its buildings and roads.
Hochul Unveils Universal Free School Meals Program Across New York

Jan 17, 2025 | the74million.org | Bianca Fortis

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter New York state’s 2.7 million students may soon have access to free school breakfast and lunch if a proposal by Governor Kathy Hochul makes it through this session’s budget negotiations.
Hochul unveils universal free school meals program: State of the State 2025

Jan 16, 2025 | ithacavoice.org | Bianca Fortis

This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for their newsletter here. ITHACA, N.Y. — New York State’s 2.7 million students may soon have access to free school breakfast and lunch if a proposal by Governor Kathy Hochul makes it through this session’s budget negotiations.
Hochul Unveils Universal Free School Meals Program: State of the…

Jan 15, 2025 | nysfocus.com | Bianca Fortis

At New York Focus, our central mission is to help readers better understand how New York really works. If you think this article succeeded, please consider supporting our mission and making more stories like this one possible. New York is an incongruous state. We’re home to fabulous wealth — if the state were a country, it would have the tenth largest economy in the world — but also the highest rate of wealth inequality. We’re among the most diverse – but also the most segregated.
Trump’s Education Priorities, Foundation Aid, and Mayoral Control

Dec 30, 2024 | nysfocus.com | Bianca Fortis

At New York Focus, our central mission is to help readers better understand how New York really works. If you think this article succeeded, please consider supporting our mission and making more stories like this one possible. New York is an incongruous state. We’re home to fabulous wealth — if the state were a country, it would have the tenth largest economy in the world — but also the highest rate of wealth inequality. We’re among the most diverse – but also the most segregated.