BP MARKOWITZ CALLS FOR REAUTHORIZATION OF MAYORAL CONTROL OF NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

On Friday, March 20, in testimony before the New York State Assembly Education Committee in Brooklyn, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz called for the reauthorization of the law giving the mayor control over New York City public schools. Represented by his chief of staff, Carlo Scissura, BP Markowitz made the following recommendations and modifications:

• The mayor should retain control of the schools, and should continue to appoint the chancellor
• A return to a system of 32 local district offices, each with its own superintendent appointed by the chancellor, as well as support staff and district-wide parent advocate
• Superintendents should have jurisdiction only over schools in that geographic district, and not schools in any other district
• District superintendents should sit on the board of directors for all of the charter schools located in their geographic district
• Community Education Councils (CEC’s) should annually evaluate the superintendents and communicate their recommendations to the chancellor
• The creation of an independent education office that will provide non-partisan reporting and analysis of the combined $18 billion capital and operations budgets, and also provide a complete analysis of student outcomes
• The borough president recommends that the composition of the Panel for Education Policy (PEP) remain in its current form. However, members should be appointed for fixed terms
• The PEP should have the authority to approve all Department of Education budgets, major policy issues and contracts. The chancellor should continue to be a member of the panel
• School Leadership Teams (SLT’s) should be part of the process by interviewing prospective parent coordinators and making recommendations to the school’s principal. The principal would then make the final selection, drawing from a list compiled by the SLT
• Candidates for the CEC’s should be a parent or guardian of a child attending a school in that district, including charter schools
• The adoption of a better election process—one that will have a form of proportional representation in order to guarantee that all parents will be able to fully participate in empowered CEC’s
• CEC’s must vote to approve any sites for new schools, the reconfiguration of existing schools and the opening and closing of schools prior to a final decision being made

Complete testimony can be found on www.brooklyn-usa.org after 6:00 p.m. or by requesting from contact below.

CONTACT: Mark Zustovich 718-802-3830; mzustovich@brooklynbp.nyc.gov