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Speeches
Despite the Mayor and Chancellor’s best efforts over the weekend to lock in the necessary votes they needed, things had spun so out of control by yesterday that, in order to rein in the panel, the Mayor took the drastic steps of firing panel members and replacing them with members guaranteed to vote in his favor.
This heavy-handed tactic threatens to undermine the public support for school reform that Bloomberg has struggled to build over the past year, but more importantly it is a major setback for New York City public schools.
The Ides of March are upon us. Bloomberg’s stated that his representatives to the panel “are going to vote for things I believe in.” But the fact that he chose not to fire Dr. Kappner, who voted against him, proves that his actions are just politics at play. More importantly, the thirteen members of the panel should be appointed for their expertise and ability to make the right policy decisions for the schools because the Mayor and Chancellor do not have the experience to make these decisions.
Bloomberg had been acting like a chameleon, but yesterday he showed his true colors by acting much like the CEO he is used to being. As with so many other reforms to education (i.e., curriculum changes, special education, the suspension plan) the opinions and expertise of those who know and understand the NYC public school system were completely discounted. Bloomberg can’t seem to stop himself from exerting total control and no one around him seems to have the wherewithal to stop him.
The panel needs real experts like Dr. Kappner. The proposal to postpone the vote was reasonable. Bloomberg should have taken the time to build consensus and pass a policy that really works.
While I am against social promotion, I do believe that it is extremist and ill-advised to base third-grade promotion on two tests and a questionable appeals process. It is our responsibility to provide every child with the resources necessary for them to be able to read, write and add at the appropriate grade level. Every child deserves this opportunity.
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