Campaign for Better Schools

Parents and Youth speak out for greater transparency
and real checks and balances to Mayoral Control
at Bronx Senate Hearing

Bronx, NY — Parents and youth testified this afternoon at the Bronx State Senate public hearing on mayoral control of New York City schools. Members of the Coalition for Education Justice (CEJ) and Campaign for Better Schools called on the state legislature to renew mayoral control of the city’s schools with some key changes aimed at improving transparency, public participation and accountability.

“Contrary to what may be reported in the media, parents do care a great deal about the quality of education their children are receiving, and when decisions are made that affect that, they want input,” commented Carol Boyd Parent Leader with the NYC Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ) which is member of the Campaign for Better Schools. “One of the most frustrating issues for families and communities has been Department of Education’s unilateral decision to close certain schools and to place new schools inside existing schools. We are calling for a process to be established that ensures community input before schools can be closed and before new schools can be placed inside existing schools.”

Yesterday, Assemblyman Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) and Senator Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn) introduced a bill in both houses of the legislature that reflects the proposal for reforming the current system of New York City school governance being advocated by the Campaign for Better Schools. Sixteen members of the Assembly and eight members of the Senate are sponsoring the Better Schools Act S5576.

“New York City’s system of mayoral control has become a system of one-man rule of all educational policy. One person alone – no matter how smart - can not possibly know what is right for a system with over 1,400 schools, 80,000 teachers and more than a million school children,” explained Zakiyah Ansari, parent leader and organizer for the Campaign for Better Schools. “We are simply asking the mayor to understand what we teach our children all the time: you have to share.”