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Bloomberg Taps Parent As Liaison to Schools Bloomberg Taps Parent
As Liaison to Schools Ms. Guerrier, whose son is in 5th grade at P.S. 133 in Brooklyn, has been serving on the city's Panel for Educational Policy, and the Mayor noted that she had disagreed with his policies on numerous occasions. 'Value Her Candor' "Having a diverse range of views is great," Mr. Bloomberg said. "I value her independence and candor." Ms. Guerrier will be paid $150,000 a year and report directly to Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. She will oversee the 1,500 employees at the Office of Parent Engagement and is charged with improving communication between the Department of Education and parents. She said she would begin her first week on the job by launching a "listening" tour with parent groups citywide. Ms. Guerrier said that she was aware that not all parents were happy about the planned reforms. "I believe there's some skepticism and some concern," she said, "but I believe it's also an opportunity that is upon us that will provide a lot of opportunities to do things better and to do things anew." Members of the Put the Public Back in Public Education coalition said the timing of the announcement, hours before their public launch meeting, was another sign that the city was more interested in maneuvering than engaging in a serious dialogue. Question Impact "There was an attempt to divide us," said Bill Lipton, a spokesman for the Working Families Party, "by inviting some of our members to the press conference. Most of us declined." Some coalition members were dubious that the new appointment would bring change.
"Are they going to adapt their policies to parent input?"
asked David Bloomfield, the president of the Citywide Council on High Schools, a
parents' group set up to advise the Chancellor. "It's not about a title and it's
not about an individual. The question is, is it a conduit or a buffer?"
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