For Immediate Release

Weingarten testifies at school governance hearing

Feb 6, 2009 4:12 PM

The law that grants control of New York City's schools to the mayor is up for renewal in Albany. The UFT's School Governance Task Force, which has been meeting regularly since April of 2007, issued a report this week with recommendations on how the governance law can be improved. That report was overwhelmingly approved by both the UFT Executive Board and the Delegate Assembly.

On Feb. 6, UFT President Randi Weingarten testified at a hearing on school governance held by the State Assembly Education Committee. Excerpts of her testimony are below. Click here to read the testimony in full. Click here for the UFT's report on school governance.

Our most important purpose is to help improve outcomes of students. Our collective mission is to help all kids reach their god-given potential. The key word in that is ‘collective’. Our schools are public institutions and they belong to the public; they are not the exclusive province of any one person and can’t be viewed through that lens. They serve students, their families and the larger community; and ultimately the very future of New York City depends on their success. Our schools are vital both to the promotion of the common good and to individual economic opportunity.

During the course of its work, the [UFT Task Force on School Governance] settled on six core principles. An effective governance system should:

• Ensure accountability and transparency with checks and balances at all levels
• Encourage public involvement in decision making
• Provide clear lines of communication and responsibility to solve problems
• Comply fully with state laws
• Support teamwork and collaboration focused on achievement
• Ensure the stability and oversight of resources that schools depend on.

From there, the task force developed a set of recommendations that were overwhelmingly approved this week by both the UFT Executive Board and Delegate Assembly, most prominently our call to reconfigure the Panel for Education Policy.

We have taken this controversial and difficult stance because the system needs an independent voice that will champion kids. The Panel for Education Policy was intended as a mechanism to review and approve major policy changes the mayor and chancellor propose for the system, but it has been turned into little more than an advisory panel. Effectively, there is no vehicle in this current governance structure where the voices of educators or parents can be heard, and where proper debate can take place. For the last seven years, the only two methods of getting your views heard were through lawsuits or by taking to the streets in protest.

We propose that the Panel for Education Policy be reconfigured, significantly stronger and more independent.

In keeping with the six principles developed by our task force, our recommendations also include:

• A renewed commitment to and the strengthening of School Leadership Teams.
• A recasting of the Community Education Councils in each district, with a broader selection process for panel members and additional powers and duties to ensure community access and voice. That includes the authority to hold public hearings and submit recommendations on proposed school openings and closings.
• Enabling community superintendents to perform the significant powers and duties given them under existing state law and who can help bridge the gap for parents and schools who need more information & assistance.

In its current iteration, many people believe mayoral control has been beset with controversies, reorganizations and a retreat from any meaningful democratic process.  The system in many ways frustrates parents, impedes educators and hampers opportunities for our kids.

We believe our recommendations are a responsible, thoughtful and reasonable approach to the problems in the current model. Providing students an opportunity for success is always the goal of public school educators and our task force wrestled for a long time with what governance system could help our public schools achieve this goal. There is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to transparency, accountability and collaboration. Let’s not simply keep the status quo. Let’s improve what we have.