Dr. Mike, superintendent of New York City Geographic District #25, told the President's Council at its June meeting that the district showed modest year‑over‑year gains on several performance measures and will add a district goal to increase family participation in college‑savings account signups.

The announcement matters because the superintendent tied test‑score movement, attendance and family engagement to districtwide priorities and set a measurable outreach target for the coming year: increase participation in the district’s "Safe for College" account signups by 10 percent.

Dr. Mike opened his report by thanking volunteer parent leaders and then summarized recent programming and results. He said the district’s DCEP (district improvement plan) data were tentative but showed “a little over 2%” improvement overall and smaller gains for many targeted subgroups. He said students with individualized education programs (IEPs) and English language learners saw larger relative gains—about 4 to 5 percent from the prior year. He said kindergarten results were lower than in recent years and remain an area needing additional work.

On iReady (grades 3–8), Dr. Mike said the district saw “a little over 2%” overall improvement; Hispanic learners grew “about 5%” and Black learners “a little over 4%,” while students with IEPs showed roughly a 3% year‑over‑year change. He reported approximately 6,700 English language learners in the district and said improving outcomes for that group remains “a big subgroup” to address.

For mathematics, Dr. Mike said the district’s overall performance improved “about 3%” from the previous year and that subgroup changes ranged from roughly 3% to nearly 8% for one targeted group. He described the data as progress but added: “We have a lot more to do.”

Attendance and chronic absenteeism were a central part of the presentation. Dr. Mike said chronic absenteeism dropped from 18% to 16% as of early June and noted a “20 plus percent difference” in academic performance between students who attend regularly and those who are chronically absent.

Dr. Mike also highlighted nonacademic programming. He described a youth leadership event with about 140 students that included team‑building and college‑access sessions led in part by collegiate athletes; Adelphi University indicated a willingness to partner annually. He praised district arts activities and named PS 209 and PS 499 for success in math and digital competitions and referenced a student from JHS 194 selected for a borough arts festival at Queens College.

On the new outreach goal he called “Safe for College,” Dr. Mike said the target is informational outreach to increase signups for cost‑free college‑savings accounts: “Bottom line, it’s free — it’s free dollars for folks, that can create an account for their kids.” He said the goal was developed with parent groups and district leadership and is voluntary for families.

Discussion among council members praised the wellness and arts emphases and offered support for continued parent engagement work; no formal board action followed Dr. Mike’s report.

Looking ahead, Dr. Mike asked parent leaders for feedback over the summer on how to expand arts celebrations and on wellness programming that schools will be asked to include on local School Leadership Team agendas beginning in September.

The superintendent answered questions after the presentation and directed parents to contact district staff or Jenny (district staff) with suggestions.