hope you all have had a wonderful beginning to the New Year. Since I
posted about the issue of Mayoral Control here last month, parents from
across the city have written to Learn NY, asking questions, sharing
their stories and getting involved.
As
the state legislature gets to work, I was eager to come back again,
hoping to share some additional information and address some of the
questions we have received.
Many
of the comments that we received were about Mayor Bloomberg's impact on
the school system. These are fair discussions, but I would like to
state that I am not here to champion or defend specific policy
decisions that the mayor has made. But the fact that parents are
holding the mayor directly accountable for the changes in our schools
highlights the key issue for those advocating for the renewal of the
law– for the first time, we have a line of responsibility: the schools are accountable to the mayor, and the mayor is accountable to us.
We are all, now, education voters. Just
as much as our next mayor is responsible for keeping the streets safe
and providing city social services, the mayor's job description now
includes education and there is a clear obligation to insure that our
schools improve.
With
the law coming up for renewal, now is the time for discussion and
improvements, particularly when it comes to increasing transparency and
ensuring more parental engagement.
That is why parents from across the city are getting involved with Learn NY. By coming together to share our stories,
our experiences, and our ideas for the future, we will ensure that
parent voices are well-represented as state legislators debate renewing
mayoral control this spring.
To
that end, the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Education
wants to hear from you about the Governance of the New York City School
System, and they are holding hearings all over the city to give you
that opportunity. The first of the hearings is taking place this
Thursday at 10 A.M in Kew Gardens. Please click here for more details.
Already, concerned parents in your community have signed up to attend the hearings. Click here to join them and to make sure that your voice is heard.
Additionally on the site, you will find resources specifically for parents like links to school progress reports, grade-by-grade guides and a parent's bill of rights, as well as other ways for you to get involved.
I look forward to working with you all. Please email me if you have any questions.
Robin Warren