Establishing a government-run "universal" pre-k program was a centerpiece of his campaign for the job. And now, he's about to make good on that promise.
The mayor just secured $300 million for the project in the New York state budget.
It will eventually enroll about 73,250 children at a cost of $10,200 per head.
A small slice of the schools are expected to be run in concert with community charities and private providers, but the vast majority will be directly managed by the city's Department of Education.
And here's where the romantic visions driving de Blasio's grand project collide with the intractable reality of what public pre-k in New York City will actually look like in practice.
These schools will bear little resemblance to my Montessori experience.
They will not be sanctuaries for supple young minds.
They will not be exceptionally intensive and well-run.
They will be mostly terrible.
We know this because the NYC Department of Education has been running a couple thousand K-12 institutions for decades.
It spends about $19,000 per student per year.
And its schools are...mostly terrible.
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