DOE Calls for Greater Participation of Parents on Councils, Extends Application Deadline

Why don’t NYC parents want to serve on the Community Education Councils?

CEC’s are advisory boards in which parents are elected to a two-year term to advocate on issues such as zoning and even how school buildings are used (i.e. whether a charter school should or should not share building space).

Yet, for years the DOE has had trouble getting parents to apply. And this year is no exception.

That is why Schools Chancellor Cathy Black and Ojeda Hall, director of the Office for Family Information and Action, yesterday issued a call for more parent applicants and extended the deadline to April 22. The original deadline to submit applications was April 9.

“This is a great opportunity for parents who have not been engaged before in the education process to become informed and active,” said Hall. “We want our CEC membership to reflect a cross-section of our school communities and the diversity of our student population so we have extended our application deadline.”

Parents interested in serving on one of the Community District Education Councils, Citywide Council on High Schools, Citywide Council on English Language Learners, Citywide Council on Special Education or District 75 Council can text “APPLY” to 877877 to receive application information. Or they can apply online or via mail.

The election schedule is as follows:

March 25, 2011 through April 22, 2011 - Parents interested in running for a seat on a Council can nominate themselves by completing an application online and by mail.

April 27, 2011, April 28, 2011, and April 30, 2011 - District and borough parent leaders, along with the Department of Education, will host forums for parents to meet and ask questions of Council candidates.

May 1, 2011 through May 7, 2011 - All NYC public school parents can cast online advisory votes for Community and Citywide Education Council Candidates.

May 10, 2011 through May 17, 2011 - Presidents, Treasurers, and Recording Secretaries of Parent Associations and Parent Teacher Associations will select all of the new Community and Citywide Education Council Members for 2011-2013.

June 1, 2011 - Community and Citywide Education Council Members for 2011-2013 will be announced and the election results will be published online.