City Council Member Joseph Addabbo (pictured standing) hosted a town hall meeting this past Monday to give parents an opportunity to offer their views of mayoral control of city schools. Also pictured are (from left to right): Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, State Sen. Shirley Huntley, CEC 27 President Andrew Baumann and Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan. Photo Ralph ManciniEducation advocates were given an opportunity to weigh in on mayoral control of education in New York City at a community input session, held Monday, Oct. 6, in which a panel of elected officials listened to numerous parents calling for change.
Most of the audience at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Howard Beach expressed frustration with Mayor Michael Bloomberg's authority over the city's education system, citing the need for more parent and community involvement in several decisions that are reportedly being made without public input.
Community Board 10 Chairperson Elizabeth Braton acknowledged some of the benefits of having one individual oversee education in the city, but wasn't satisfied with Bloomberg's direction.
"There are pluses, but it's not a dictatorship. There needs to be some sort of accountability on the mayoral level," she pointed out.
Braton didn't agree with how other city agencies are held to different standards as far as their requirement to report their work to the community boards in the city and the public, while the mayor and the Department of Education "thumb their noses" at the commu- nity.
She called for a "structure" in place where people could issue their insight on how schools are being governed.
"We need structure that's going to function no matter who the mayor is," said the former 34-year educator, who believes that Bloomberg has added too much of his own managerial style to how the DOE communicates and interacts with community stakeholders.
Shortly after taking office in 2001, Bloomberg asked for control of the school system to rehabilitate the city's ailing school system, formerly under the control of the Board of Education.
One of the ways he sought to accomplish this feat was by placing more accountability on the part of principals and their schools.
Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer promised that changes will be in the offing for the current rule.
She assured parents that many more hearings will take place in which they will be invited to offer their input.
"Our suggestions were much different than the actual legislation," she said in reference to the original bill that was signed into law on May 21, 2002.
"We knew we wanted much more parent participation," she Pheffer.
City Council Member Joseph Addabbo and State Sen. Shirley Huntley echoed Pheffer's sentiments. Huntley revealed that she's spearheading a movement to garner public feedback in an effort to revise mayoral control.
"We've had five hearings with many more on the way. This is something I would not like to do again. We want a good plan. We don't agree with the mayor in how things are planned." she said. "We want legislation to give rights to parents and continue the dialogue. There's going to be a mandate with a watchdog group to make sure this law is carried out."
Community Education Council District 27 President Andrew Baumann bashed the way Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein have been doing business.
Klein and the entire DOE, according to the CEC leader, have systematically shunned him and other CEC representatives through- out scheduled bi-monthly meetings.
"We've been met with disregard," he stated. "They talk at you, not with you. It's a dictatorship, not a collaboration. Parents complain to us across the city. Mayoral control the way it is now isn't good for us. It's not working."
P.S. 207 (Howard Beach) Parent Association President Andrea Mercatante called out the Bloomberg Administration for issuing too much power to individual principals, who are instructing their teachers to avoid her group.
Due to the lack of participation, rights and access afforded to her association, many parents have decided not to get involved in PA activities and meetings. Many of them are reportedly opting to use 311 or report directly to the district office.
Her PA, she continued, is just being looked at as a "cash cow" that brings in money through fundraisers, while being restricted from entering P.S. 207 premises before 8:30 a.m. and after 2:30 p.m.
"We are not allowed to communicate with teachers. Tell me what can I do. You put cones in the schoolyard to ward off parents. Every little thing adds up. The PA is not a forum for parents anymore— we have no power," she concluded.
Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan told attendees about her plan to create a five-borough education system with Queens having its own set of leaders and advisors.
Local parent David M. Quintana was on hand to deride the mayor's "failed" six-year experiment with control of the DOE.
"Many speak of tweaking the system, but I think it's in need of a massive overhaul to make it more responsive to the concerns and needs of their primary stakeholders, parents, teachers and students," he began.
"Mayoral control of the New York City Department of Education has not achieved improved student performance," he added. "According to the most recent NAEP (National Association of Educational Progress) for NYC [report], test stores are stagnant. There have been no significant gains in scores during this period."
Quintana also called for the elimination of massive NYPD presence in school buildings, which in his estimation creates a "prisonlike" atmosphere.
In addition, he urged that educators be put back in the "Tweed Courthouse" and not corporate "media spin doctors" who misinform the citizenry of the conditions in schools.
Under the current setup, said Addabbo, there's no limit to how many times a mayor can come in and change the rules, even if it means modifying school policies in the middle of a school year.
"I'll check it out with our legal counsel in City Hall to see if we can implement structure," said the Council member.
