There are vacancies on several Community Education Councils (CEC) but parents seem unwilling to fill the spots.
Many of the 11-member councils, which are volunteer parents groups advocating for local schools, have had open seats for months and much trouble finding parents eager and eligible to join.
Currently, there are openings on the CECs in School Districts 15, 18, 21 and 22.
“Right now we have about four vacancies on the council,” explained Christopher Spinelli, president of the CEC for District 22, which represents schools in Mill Basin, Bergen Beach, Manhattan Beach, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach and parts of Midwood, Flatbush and Sheepshead Bay.
“A couple of our members have had their children graduate from middle school so they’re no longer eligible,” he continued. “I think that’s going to be a significant challenge for us to get more parents on board.”
Spinelli said the problem is that many parents are unaware that the CECs are operating.
“I don’t know that all parents are aware that CECs exist,” he said. “I would like to think that parents would know that we’re out there and able to hopefully help them.”
But for the city Department of Education (DOE), promoting CECs is not a top priority, Spinelli said.
“I don’t think it’s helping us that the DOE has done very little to raise the profile of the CECs in the last few years. They’ve done a very poor job advertising the CECs,” he said.
“This is something that we’ve asked for consistently – that the mayor and chancellor look to validate the Community Education Councils and really get the word out there,” Spinelli continued. “They’re the ones that created this. To create an organization without a lot of authority and to shunt them to the background hasn’t helped.”
That’s been a constant complaint of CEC members. Since the councils replaced school boards in 2004, CEC members have said the DOE has paid them little attention and not involved them in decision making. As a result, many frustrated members have resigned, including one who called the councils “a waste of time.”
But Spinelli hopes civic-minded parents will still give the councils a shot.
“I still feel that one of the most important aspects in a child’s education is parent involvement and being on a Community Education Council is a wonderful way to be involved not only in your child’s education but in the life of the schools in the community,” he said. “Community Education Councils are vital advocates for parents. Right now, given the structure of the Department of Education, parents need every voice that they can get.”
