 This week, I am turning over the newsletter to Nirvi Shah, our new executive editor. Feel free to click reply to this email to send a message to her about topics you would like to see us write about in 2024. — Liz Willen, Editor in Chief
Hi everyone,
A retired New York lawmaker called me last week, my first as executive editor here at The Hechinger Report, to discuss an issue we tracked last year: Columbia University, now New York City’s largest private landowner and like nonprofits in many states, pays no property taxes, nor does NYU, saving the universities a combined $327 million. New legislation is in the works to change that.
The contact was a pleasant reminder of Hechinger’s reach and impact, and one of the many reasons I’m so thrilled to be a part of this organization.
Then this week, with snow piling onto my region — and very possibly yours — I’m remembering the early days of the pandemic, with my kids at home, very much in need of their educators. We couldn’t write enough about what was going on then, and our reporters thankfully are still delving into the aftermath.
The newest wave of parent influence, also triggered by coronavirus, is explored in a new book from Hechinger contributor Laura Pappano. Be sure to read the excerpt we published from “School Moms: Parent Activism, Partisan Politics and the Battle for Public Education.”
Thank you to so many of you for the warm welcome to The Hechinger Report. Please reach out anytime to share what’s affecting you and what you may be wondering about. Or come chat with me when I speak with Laura at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C., next month.
 Nirvi Shah, Executive Editor
|
|
Main Idea
