Education Councils Seek Members
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO

Last month, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein announced the kick-off for the nomination process to select new Community Education Councils in 2007. Applications were due March 9 but last week the Department of Education (DOE) extended the deadline to March 19.

"We are extending the CEC application deadline, as we have in past selections, to give as many parents as possible time to apply," said Lindsey Harr, a DOE spokesperson, in the March 14 New York Sun.

The DOE would not say how many applications have been received so far for the 200 CEC seats to be filled this year. But in the same Sun report, Tim Johnson, president of the Chancellor's Parent Advisory Council said, "They don't have anybody this year."

According to the DOE Web site, as reported by the Sun in its March 14 article, 23 of the 32 CECs are operating with at least one vacancy, and there are 48 total vacancies citywide. Community Education Council 30, meeting at P.S. 112 in Long Island City on March 14, is operating with 10 members, one short of the 11 voting members required.

"Our parent leaders are critical partners in ensuring the success of our schools," said Chancellor Klein in the February 6 press release announcing the CEC nomination process. But with many parents confused over another planned reorganization of schools and fuming over DOE policies concerning cellphones and bus route changes, Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Martine Guerrier to a new position, Chief Family Engagement Officer, on February 28.

"I don't know how you could interpret [Guerrier's appointment] as anything but an admission of failure on [DOE's] part," Johnson said about the creation of the new role for Guerrier in the March 1 New York Times. "Parents are not looking for another bureaucrat to manage us. We don't need to be managed, we need parents to be empowered."

At the February 13 meeting of CEC 30, two resolutions were offered at the business meeting. One was concerning the cellphone policy and the second was a resolution rejecting the new DOE reforms. CEC 30 voted to place the Cellphone Resolution on its agenda but did not vote the resolution rejecting the new DOE reforms forward.

The Cellphone Resolution, opposing the ban of cellphone possession by students on school premises and supporting the enforcement of penalties when cellphones are used during school hours, with exceptions for medical reasons, was unanimously passed.

All parents of New York City public school children are eligible for a two-year term on their local CEC (they are organized by school district). Each CEC is composed of 11 voting members, nine of which must be parents of public school students. Two are appointees of the borough president.

The selection process for CECs, voted by officers of parent and parent-teacher associations in each school district, is to take place from April 30 through May 8. The new two-year term begins July 1, 2007.