Chairman of the Chancellor’s Parent
Advisory Council
When the history of this administration is written, historians
will note that the stakeholders of the school system, particularly
parents, were left out in the critical policy decision
making. Parent involvement has suffered greatly under
Chancellor Joel Klein. We’ve been systematically
disenfranchised. Chancellor Klein treats parents, and
especially parent organizations, not as partners in our school
system, but as the enemy.
I’m often asked why I’m so critical, it’s because I know that
without dedicated parents, there is no school system…The bottom
line is, the parents have lost faith in the Mayor’s and
Chancellor’s ability to effectively run our schools.
Parents deserve a seat at every table when decisions about our
children are being made. We demand a school system in which
are kids are entitled. A school system where parents are welcome,
respected, and consulted in a meaningful way. We don’t want
anymore failed reorganizations to cover up the poor results.
We don’t want anymore experiments on privatization on our
kids. I think most of all, we want the Chancellor to stop
telling us what he’s going to do, after he’s already done it.
We need to talk about the future of mayoral control of our
schools. In 2009 the law that gave this mayor control of our school
system sunsets. Before that great day comes, we must develop a
viable alternative and true parental empowerment for all parents
& parent organizations is a pre condition to our support for
any future system.
We’re not against Mayoral control per se, but we are against
Mayoral dictatorship & bureaucratic tyranny. Any future
system of mayoral control must be built on a cornerstone of any
good government and, most of our kids know this, a system of checks
& balances.
I believe the Chancellor should be appointed by and report to an
independent board of education. The members of the board
should be appointed for fixed terms so they can not be
removed…except for cause. The school board should hold public
hearings in all five boroughs before major policy changes are
made.
There must be complete budgetary transparency and true
accountability to the people and I think we need an independent
office…with the power to investigate and adjudicate on behalf of
the parents. We also need educational leaders running our
school system with education credentials.
So I am here tonight as the only volunteer on this panel, the
only amateur, to ask the good people of Staten Island to stay
committed to what parents everywhere know makes a great school
system: Outstanding principals who are seasoned educational
leaders, qualified and dedicated teaching professionals in our
classrooms, engaged students who come to school to learn, and
parents who are empowered, consulted and respected.