UFT, Parents Want Input
Say City Left Public Out of School Plans

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

A coalition of community, labor and parents' groups joined with elected officials Feb. 14 to demand that the city slow down its school reorganization plan and take input from "people other than consultants."

The Chief-Leader/Michel Friang 'STOP AND LISTEN': United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten was among the union and elected officials and education activists who gathered to accuse Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein of excluding them from any input on school policies. 'What we are trying to do,' one activist said, 'is to put the public back into public education.'

Accusing Mayor Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein of acting like dictators, the group said the plan was doomed to fail unless Teachers and parents were brought into the decision-making process.

'Didn't Vote for This'

"I voted for mayoral control [of the school system]," said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who was an Assemblyman when the state gave Mr. Bloomberg the power to run the schools. "I did not vote for a dictatorship."

Advocates said that parents and Teachers had not been consulted about the latest reorganization, and complained that they were repeatedly informed after the fact about important changes affecting the schools.

"The department has met and will continue to meet with elected officials, community leaders, and parents across the city," said David Cantor, the chief spokesman for the Department of Education. "We'll continue to meet with members of the school community to gather comments and feedback toward final implementation." Mr. Cantor added that DOE officials had already met with several of the individuals and groups that make up the coalition.

More than one group cited the recent problems with changing school bus routes as an example of an effort that went off the rails because of an over-reliance on consultants and a lack of outreach to community members.

SCOTT STRINGER: Who made Bloomberg king?

"As we would say to any child crossing the street on a snowy day like today," said United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, "we are saying to the Chancellor and the Mayor, 'Stop, look and listen.'''

Parents' groups also said that there was distrust and concern in their ranks about the planned changes.

"We are saying no more Hail Mary reorganizations to cover up poor results," said Tim Johnson, chair of the Chancellor's Parent Advisory Council. "Despite spending more money on parent engagement than any previous administration, they have actually engaged us less."

Mr. Stringer said that when the State Legislature approved mayoral control in 2002, it made a mistake in not including a process by which parents would have input into the decision-making process.

A series of meetings convened by the Working Families Party over the past several weeks has attracted dozens of groups that have not always seen eye to eye. The new coalition has cohered around a set of issues that it believes the Mayor's reorganization plan does not address. High on that list are reducing class size, creating pathways to college, reducing reliance on high-stakes testing, school safety and professional development.

WFP co-chair Bertha Lewis said she expects at least 1,000 people at the group's next community meeting, scheduled for Feb. 28 in Manhattan.

"What we are trying to do," said Pat Boone, a representative of the New York City Coalition for Educational Justice, "is to put the public back into public education."