School is out of session but parents are still advocating for their children’s schools.
Throughout the summer, Community Education Councils (CEC), which are parent volunteer groups supporting the public schools in their local school districts, will continue to hold regular monthly meetings.
At last week’s meeting of the CEC for District 18, which covers Canarsie and East Flatbush, council members took a look back on their work during the school year.
“Thanks to my council members for all the hard work we do together,” said Jennifer Duncan. “Despite what may happen, we are a team and we are here for all children.”
Throughout the year, District 18’s CEC dealt with issues pertaining to individual schools as well as those affecting the entire city.
Of particular concern was Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s implementation of budget cuts in the middle of the school year and plan to institute even more this September.
The CEC held several meetings to discuss how the budget cuts would affect local schools and asked city Department of Education (DOE) officials to cut administrative costs instead.
“The consultants that you’re paying millions of dollars to – you have members on the [Community Education] Councils that can do the same job,” District 18 CEC President James Dandridge said at a hearing earlier this year. “Use the volunteers that you have in the city to act as consultants. That’s a way to save money.”
Due to such protests from parents, the City Council eliminated the school budget cuts planned for this September.
“I want to commend this council on the hard work they do,” said Valerie Armstrong-Barrows, a member of the Citywide Council on High Schools (CCHS).
Armstrong-Barrows, who regularly attends District 18 CEC meetings, said the local council is one of the most effective in Brooklyn.
“This is one of the most cohesive groups I see,” she said. “This is not the case throughout Brooklyn.”
“I look forward to an active year,” Armstrong-Barrows continued.
