Parents question mayor’s math
Published: February 6, 2009 - 3:48 pm
Parents questioned whether New York City schools had improved as much as the Bloomberg administration claims at an Assembly hearing Friday on whether mayoral control of the school system should continue.
The state legislature must decide whether to re-authorize mayoral control by June 30, when the provision is due to expire. Much of the debate centers on how to amend the provision, if at all. Many parents and advocates argue that mayoral control does not allow parents to have a voice the school system and want more checks and balances on the mayor’s authority.
Chancellor Joel Klein and other members of Mayor Bloomberg’s administration argued at the hearing, held by the Assembly Education Committee, that mayoral control works and should be reauthorized with minimal changes. Mr. Klein pointed to higher achievement in math and English among younger students and 2% annual gains in the four-year graduation rate since mayoral control started.
A number of parents, however, are calling for greater transparency in the Department of Education when it comes to assessing improvements in the school system. Over 100 people from a group called Campaign for Better Schools, a coalition of 25 community organizations from around the city, were on hand to argue that the gains the mayor cites have not been evenly distributed.
“We don’t see why the mayor and Chancellor Klein are saying the schools have made good progress,” said Leticia Alanis, an organizer for La Union, a community group based in Sunset Park. “We don’t see it in our community. We see very low graduation rates.”
Parents and advocates have called for a bigger role for district supervisors and for an independent board to oversee performance data from the department.
On Monday, the United Federation of Teachers proposed changing the system for appointing members to the Panel for Educational Policy, the body that replaced the Board of Education when mayoral control was instituted in 2002. The UFT wants to reduce the number appointed by the mayor to five from eight. The public advocate, comptroller, City Council speaker, and five borough presidents would each appoint a member to the 13-person panel.
The union argues that the changed system would provide checks and balances, while leaving wide latitude for policy decisions and day-to-day control in the hands of the schools chancellor.
Taking control of the schools away from the mayor would create a system with “zero accountability,” said Geoffrey Canada, the chairman of Learn NY, a new group advocating for the reauthorization of mayoral control. Mr. Canada is also the chief executive of the Harlem Children’s Zone, a non-profit that runs three charter schools and programs in nine traditional schools in the city.
Changing the membership of the education panel as the UFT suggests “would recreate gridlock by diluting the mayor’s authority—a recipe for disaster,” Mr. Canada said.
Earlier in the day, Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested there might be “riots in the streets” if mayoral control is not re-authorized.
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