May 27, 2015
Dear NYS Legislators:
On May 21st, Assemblywoman Crystal D.
Peoples-Stokes submitted Assembly Bill #7680, “AN ACT to amend the education law, in
relation to mayoral control of the city school district of the city of Buffalo”. If
passed this Bill will effectively disenfranchise countless voters in the City
of Buffalo, and establish a dubious, at best, school management system which I
believe will create incalculable instability.
As a sitting Board member, I speak for myself but I believe that I have a perspective that is
informed by my knowledge of the complex issues facing the District. I
find it inconceivable that the Mayor should consider assuming leadership of the
District without consulting the Interim Superintendent, current Board members
or senior staff members. If the future
educational issues of the children are to be properly addressed as a result of
Mayoral takeover, at the very least, the Assemblywoman and the Mayor should
have a transitional phase as part of the proposed plan. However, that is the least of my objections
as I see the legislation as terminally flawed.
The legislation proposes to
give the Mayor the authority to hire the Superintendent and to replace current
Board members with his own appointees. The Mayor will also appoint a
number of community advisory boards that would be issue oriented, e.g. English
Language Learners, Early childhood education, general and mental health, and
special education. The rationale for locating this authority with the Mayor is
that it would allow the public to hold him accountable for failure to make
progress. Absent any extraordinary
accountability measures, the public has the same option to hold the Mayor
responsible that it does to hold current Board members accountable; that’s the VOTE.
Board members have either a three year or five year term, while the
Mayor has a four year term. It’s not
clear what the advantage is or how the Mayor will be held more accountable than
elected Board members.
Herein lies the crux of the problem with this
legislation. It proposes to strip
authority from duly elected officials (current Board members) to empower
another duly elected official with powers that are not inherent in his
office. Further, Mayor Brown has
provided little to no information about his plans and how he will implement a
model to direct the school district operations with less than three months
before a new school year begins. In addition, there’s
been no opportunity for public comment or feedback.
There is always “talk” about the children and how this
legislation is really about the children and that there is an urgency to change
the current dynamics. I don’t disagree
with either the urgency or the need for change.
But, I have heard nothing to date that would provide an assurance that
the change envisioned by this legislation will really be a positive one for the
children. I see only disruption and disregard
for the children.
I urge you not to vote for Bill #7680. It is antithetical to the democratic process.
Sincerely,
Barbara Seals Nevergold, PhD, At-Large Member BOE
No comments:
Post a Comment