Saturday, March 24, 2007

Potemkin Protestors


The NY POST recently ran this editorial and here is my response to it...let's see if they print it...

I am the parent of a real student in the NYC public school system at MS 210 in Ozone Park. I am speaking as a Parents Association member about mayoral control of our schools.

Parents were outraged at the recent school bus debacle, which led to elementary school students being stranded in the streets - Has anyone been fired..?

And, how ridiculous is it to roll out such a program in the middle of the winter..?


I agree with the Post that,“Klein and Bloomberg have been rocking the system since they won control of the schools in 2003” but, every informed parent I speak to feels that the Chancellor and Mayor have failed to improve our once great public education system.


Parents have barely gotten used to the reforms instituted by the Mayor a few years ago - Nor have those reforms been assessed or evaluated to determine if they benefited our children.


Where is the accountability..?


To hear that the Mayor does not support the use of the CFE law suit proceeds to reduce class size is lunacy to me. Every study shows convincingly that lower class sizes are beneficial to students.


I support the Nolan/Lancman bill in the State Assembly to use 25% of these proceeds for class size reduction and urge the Post to support it, too.


I think it is the Post disrespecting parents for not seeking out real parents of real students, they can be found at the Chancellors Parents Advisory Council, any Community Education Council or Parents Association meeting in the City of New York. Have a reporter give me a call..we'll talk.