Relates to enhancing parental and community input into the New York city school system; repealer

Section 2 and 3 amend the sections of the law governing Community Education Councils (CECs) to give borough presidents, rather than the chancellor, the primary responsibility for training CEC members.

Section 4 amends section 2590-e of the education law.

Section 5 amends the section ofthe law governing CECs, to add to their duties and responsibilities the responsibility to renew proposals subject to UPEP, to notify the community regarding such proposals, and to advise the chancellor and the panel for educational policy regarding such proposals.

Sections 6 and 7 amend the sections of law governing the city board to require the city board to exercise its authority subject to UPEP.

Sections 8 and 9 amend the sections of law governing the Chancellor to state that the Chancellor must exercise his or her authority subject to UPEP.

Section 10 amends the section of the law governing the Chancellor to remove the Chancellor's duty to provide training to CEC members, so that this duty can be transferred to the borough presidents.

Section 11 adds a new section to the education law creating UPEP, providing timelines for public review and input into decisions by the CECs, the Chancellor, and the Panel for Educational Policy.

Section 12 adds a new section to the education law describing the duties and responsibilities of the borough presidents under the reformed system.

Section 13 adds a new section to the education law creating the borough education council, a panel analogous to the city's borough board, to be composed of each borough's borough president, city council members, and CEC presidents, and spells out the council's duties and responsibilities.

Section 14 provides that the act shall take effect immediately, with certain conditions.

Justification

The Legislature and Governor overhauled New York City's school governance system in 2002 and in the process abolished Community School Boards. To replace School Boards, the Legislature and Governor acted to create Community Education Councils (CECs) in 2003 to "provide an opportunity for meaningful participation for both parents and the community." Since 2003, a significant consensus has emerged that the current system of parental and community input has not succeeded and is in need of structural repair.

CEC's, unlike the more successful model of New York City Community Boards, have not been independently empowered to be the effective voices of the City's parent and public school communities. There are two structural reasons for this. First, compared to Community Boards, the CEC's authority is undermined by the lack of independence. CECs are wholly dependent upon the Department of Education for the training, resources and support - as opposed to Community Boards, which have an independently elected executive official, the Borough President, available to support their activities. Second, compared to Community Boards, CECs have been unable to define their role in educational decision-making because they lack a procedural roadmap for influencing policy decisions, or a timeline for providing input.

Community Boards, on the other hand, have a formal advisory role, with specific timeline in numerous City process such as the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).

Therefore, Community Education Councils should be reformed and empowered by modeling them after New York City Community Boards in two important respects: First, CECs should be given greater independence from the Department of Education by giving the city's five borough presidents a stronger role training, supporting and promoting the CECs in their boroughs, as they currently do for the Community Boards in their borough. Second, State law should establish a formal process for CEC review and input into educational decisions - the Uniform Parental Engagement Procedure (UPEP).

In fact, only by empowering truly independent input from parents and community leaders will the Department of Education be able to command broad support for its initiatives and its direction. For the benefit of the City's school children and the City's future, Community Education Councils must be reformed and empowered to provide the voice that public school parents need and deserve.

Prior legislative history

None.

Fiscal implications

To be determined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.