Mayor Bloomberg and Joel Klein determined to keep parents seen, not heard

Mayor Bloomberg and Joel Klein determined to keep parents seen, not heard

Updated Wednesday, February 25th 2009, 12:11 PM

Public school parents in this town should be seen and not heard - no matter what state law says.

That's the kind of dictatorship Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein seem determined to wield over our school system - until someone in Albany gets up the nerve to stop them.

All across the city, parents who serve on local Community Education Councils are furious. The CECs replaced the old community school boards after the Legislature eliminated the Board of Education in 2003 and gave Bloomberg greater control of the schools.

Several provisions of that law were intended to assure parents had some oversight over the mayor's new powers.

Klein and his aides have repeatedly flouted those provisions, CEC leaders say.

The most recent example is a spate of school closings and Klein's creation of dozens of new small schools, all without bothering to consult CECs in the affected districts.

Take Public School 241 in West Harlem. The Department of Education announced last fall it was phasing out the school because of poor performance.

Two weeks ago, Klein's aides suddenly informed the District 3 education council that Harlem Success Academy 4, one of several nonprofit charter schools run by former City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz, will move into the PS 241 building in September.

That will leave the neighborhood with no regular elementary school for its zone, except for the Moskowitz charter school.

John White, head of portfolio management for Klein, defended the decision.

"Most parents in the northern part of District 3 are already choosing not to attend their zoned school," because of its poor record, White said.

Those children who don't want to apply to the new charter school will be given priority to attend other nearby public schools, he added.

In effect, White and Klein have rezoned a neighborhood school.

State education law requires that the local CEC approve any such zoning change.

"This is a significant change that has been made without any consultation with us," said Jennifer Freeman, member of the District 3 CEC.

Then there's the new 300-student high school for educationally troubled youngsters that the DOE was planning to put into PS 173 in Washington Heights, a thriving school lucky enough to boast a dance studio, a huge science lab and full-size art room.

When they learned the educrats at Tweed were moving forward with the plan, PS 173 parents and local political leaders organized a protest three weeks ago.

Now the people at Tweed are having second thoughts.

"It became apparent that the parents [at PS 173] are concerned," White said. Putting the new high school there is now "one possibility of several scenarios," he said.

In East New York, Brooklyn, parents at PS 72 were suddenly informed that their failing school will be phased out and replaced by two new schools.

Councilman Charles Barron, who organized a protest at the school two weeks ago, said the DOE has starved the school of resources.

"They don't have a decent library, no computers, no science lab and the new principal has been there only one year," Barron said.

"They never had any discussion with the CEC," said Virginia Carlton, a parent at the school.

By June, lawmakers in Albany will have to decide whether to reauthorize mayoral control of city schools.

The way Klein and Bloomberg keep abusing the law, the Legislature needs to put some stronger safeguards against a complete dictatorship.

jgonzalez@nydailynews.com

LINK: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/02/24/2009-02-24_mayor_bloomberg_and_joel_klein_determine.html