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September 18, 2008

The Democratic Senate School Governance

Task Force Public Hearing

Testimony Submitted by Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum

Thank you, Senator Krueger for inviting me to this hearing and to all the legislators for holding this important discussion.

One year ago, I appointed a commission at the request of Catherine Nolan, chair of the education committee in the State Assembly, to independently assess school governance in New York City. On September 4th, I received the final report of the Commission on School Governance. I’m pleased you had the opportunity to hear from the Commission’s executive director, Joe Viteritti. He knows as much about this issue as anyone in the country.

The Commission on School Governance heard hours of testimony from individuals and organizations that represent broad and diverse constituencies, as well as the views of parents at forums held in all five boroughs and at three public hearings. Additionally, we commissioned eight academic papers from top experts on the issue, so that the Commission could better understand and learn from the experiences of other cities.

Overall, I agree with the Commission’s findings and recommendations: We should maintain mayoral control, but the law must be amended to ensure greater public accountability and meaningful input from parents and the community.

In order to maintain mayoral control, the mayor must have the majority of the appointments on the Panel for Education Policy. But I support the idea of fixed terms for its members, and I believe that the Panel should be comprised of people with relevant backgrounds and a stake in the education system.

It is clear that we need to have more oversight over the finances and data produced by the Department of Education (DOE). I enthusiastically endorse the idea that the Independent Budget Office serve as an outside evaluator to monitor and assess the data produced by the DOE, such as test scores and graduation rates.

And, since the DOE spends billions of public dollars, they must follow the same procurement procedures as every other city agency does.

For mayoral control to be most effective, the local geographic school districts created decades ago should be re-established. Parents desperately need a viable local resource when they have problems or questions. And the superintendents must be more accountable to the districts they represent. Members of parent associations should be given the chance to run for the Community District Education Council.

However, I am opposed to the Commission’s recommendation that the Panel for Education Policy be involved in collective bargaining agreements. Third-party approval would undermine collective bargaining by empowering an entity that is not involved in the process.

By recommending that the Panel be given more independence, district offices reestablished, the eligibility criteria for the CDEC expanded, and that the state legislature establish standards of meaningful public input, this report lays the groundwork for stronger community and parent participation. But there is much more to be done. As you know, it is difficult to legislate greater opportunities for community and parental input. The State’s Contracts for Excellence model for parental involvement, cited in the report, is a good start and an approach with which the State Senate has experience.

According to the Commission’s report, an increased capacity for change is the “single most important and measurable advantage of mayoral control.” The New York City school system has seen more change in the last few years than it has in generations. We are now at a point where we can determine what changes will improve the school governance structure for New York City.

Some may believe that the Commission’s final report does not adequately assess the current governance arrangement under Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Klein. Although I understand this criticism, the purpose of this effort was to develop a blueprint for the future regardless of who is appointed mayor and chancellor. I think the Commission has done that.

Moreover, there are those who will disagree with the findings in the Commission’s final report, but there is no question that, by and large, its findings reflect the views of stakeholders expressed throughout this process. Passions and tensions run high when debating the issue, but the debate must take place. The Commission has established a framework in which this debate can and should continue. I look forward to the discussion that lies ahead. I’m confident that through an open and deliberative discussion, school governance in New York City can be improved.

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