Public Advocate's Corner

Watch Joe Viteritti on City Talk

Professor Joseph Viteritti appeared on CUNY TV’s City Talk to discuss the work of the Commission on School Governance and mayoral control.  Joseph Viteritti is the Blanche D. Blank Professor of Public Policy at Hunter College/CUNY and the executive director of the Commission on School Governance in New York. Professor Viteritti's latest book, "When Mayors Take Charge: School Governance in the City" is a companion document to the Final Report prepared by the Commission.   

May 5, 2009, Approx. 30 min

The New State Test Results

While the DOE deserves credit for the increase in the percentage of students meeting state standards, the raw test scores show more modest improvement. The Mayor and Chancellor often hold up test scores as the ultimate proof of their achievements in the schools, but the data is open to interpretation and simply cannot be the only measure of how our schools are performing. We need to take a closer look at the numbers and determine how they fit into the larger picture: Are state tests getting easier? Are our children being over-drilled for tests at the expense of other important aspects of their education like social studies, physical education, and the arts? Will these gains match the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which will be released in the fall? My Commission on School Governance has recommended that the Independent Budget Office be given oversight over Department of Education data. Adopting this recommendation would address the need for an independent assessment of test scores.

My Letter to Secretary Arne Duncan

Last week, I sent a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, responding to a number of comments he made in support of Mayor Bloomberg’s control of the public school system. Having appointed the Commission on School Governance to examine mayoral control of the New York City public schools, I felt it was appropriate to share the Commission’s work with Secretary Duncan:

Dear Mr. Secretary, 

I want to congratulate you, first, on your confirmation as President Obama’s Secretary of Education. I respect the work you did to improve the Chicago Public Schools, and I wish you the best of luck in your new job.

I am writing in response to a number of comments you made regarding the current system of school governance in New York City public schools. While we both agree generally that the Mayor should retain control of the school system, I would caution against focusing too much on the data provided by the Department of Education—I have always said that it is a fundamental flaw that the current system gives the Mayor and Chancellor an incentive to present information in a positive light.

Read the Full Letter

New Report Shows NYC High School Discharge Rates Increasing

This morning, Betsy Gotbaum and advocates released a report on New York City’s high school graduation and discharge trends from 2000-2007, the first such comprehensive analysis since 2002. The report’s findings demonstrate that New York City’s high school discharge system remains a loosely regulated accounting loophole that can be used to artificially increase the graduation rate by excluding at-risk students who leave school without diplomas. Read more.

Picture above: Kim Sweet (Advocates for Children), Dianne Morales (The Door), Jennifer Jennings (co-author/Columbia University), Leonie Hamison (co-author/ Class Size Matters) and Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum.

Troubling News on Fire Safety in NYC Public Schools

A Daily News article published yesterday quoted an inspector for the School Construction Authority (SCA) who was demoted after warning his superiors about inadequate fire prevention systems in New York City public schools. The inspector, Roy Van Allen, identified problems with fire standpipes and fire suppression systems in four different schools: PS 125 in Harlem, PS 303, PS 245, and Law and Justice High School in Queens.

In response to Mr. Van Allen’s revelations, Public Advocate Gotbaum said: “I am deeply troubled by today’s news. Not only could students be at serious risk in the event of a fire, but it also appears that the city may have retaliated against an inspector who tried to do the right thing. If these allegations are true, the SCA and FDNY must immediately conduct a full review of sprinklers, fire standpipes, and fire hydrants on public school properties throughout the city. There is no room for debate on this issue—New York City schools should be held to the highest standards of safety.” 

(PS 125 in Harlem is pictured on right)

Should Mayors Run Schools?

This week, in the national publication Education Week, Joseph Viteritti, Executive Director of the Commission on School Governance, writes about Mayoral Control in New York City and the work of the Commission. Check out the full article here.

Should Mayors Run Schools?

By Joseph P. Viteritti

Mayoral control of public schools, now found in more than a dozen localities across the nation, has become part of the landscape of American urban education, even as the idea has played out differently from city to city.

Boston and Chicago are prototypes. In Boston, where the governance change was carried out in 1992, the mayor has worked closely with school professionals to implement new programs. In Chicago, where it was enacted in 1995, the mayor, at least initially, worked around school people. Detroit is a case study of mayoral control undone: The plan there went down in a 2005 referendum after six rocky years characterized by racial, partisan, and regional antagonism. The District of Columbia is a recent convert (2007); Los Angeles came close, but never quite got there. And talk about a move to mayoral control has been heard in such diverse places as Albuquerque, N.M.; Dallas; Memphis, Tenn.; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; Newark, N.J.; Rochester, N.Y.; and Seattle.

Charter School Expansion in NYC

Today, Betsy Gotbaum testified at the City Council Hearing on Charter School Expansion in New York City.

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum said, "I saw an editorial today suggesting that those of us who challenged the closing of these schools want to keep bad schools open. That misses the point entirely. The DOE seems to consider closing schools a badge of honor. What I want is for the DOE to work harder to help bad schools do better. For example, in the Chancellor’s district, struggling schools were given the resources and attention they needed to improve. And if schools must be replaced, it must be done with public input and respect for the law. 

We cannot allow the DOE to conduct their affairs in the shadows, raising the ire and suspicion of the community. For years, I have been calling for increased transparency at the DOE, as well as increased efforts to involve parents and the public." Read her full testimony here.

Gotbaum Reacts to Thompson's Findings on DOE "Runaway Contracts"

Today, Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. released a probe of the Department of Education which finds that hundreds of contracts exceeded their expected costs. Read More

In a statement, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum expressed outrage over the findings. Gotbaum said:

“I’m appalled by the vast cost overruns at the Department of Education that Comptroller Thompson exposed, but I’m hardly surprised. My office’s own analysis found that in 2008 the DOE spent $246 million more on contracts than it had forecast in its budget. Whether this was unrealistic budgeting or reckless spending, it's an insult to taxpayers, parents and children, and it's unacceptable. It's absurd that an agency with a $20B budget, more than the GDP of many countries, is allowed to operate without any established fiscal oversight.”

Gotbaum Joins as Plaintiff in Suit Against DOE

Today, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum joined with parents and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) in filing a lawsuit against the Department of Education (DOE). The plaintiffs charge that the DOE failed to obtain approval - required by state law - for zoning changes that would close three zoned elementary schools (P.S. 150, 194, and 241) without the creation of new schools within the affected community zones.

Public Advocate Gotbaum said, “In the past several years, the DOE has consistently and systematically cut CECs, parents, educators, and students out of the decision-making process. In this particular decision, DOE not only refused public participation and community input, but it also clearly violated state law. Rather than allow the students of PS 194 and PS 241 in Harlem, and PS 150 in Brooklyn, to be displaced from their community zones, it is time to take a stand. I join with the other plaintiffs in this case in filing suit against the city and renewing my call for a change in DOE policy.”

New Book: When Mayors Take Charge

If you haven't seen it already, a new book has been published by the Brookings Institution called When Mayors Take Charge: School Governance in the City. This book, edited by Joseph P. Viteritti who was also the Executive Director of the Public Advocate’s Commission on School Governance, "brings together leading experts on mayoral control to analyze the factors and people driving this trend as well as its achievements and shortcomings, possible ways to improve its design and implementation and its prospects for the future." The papers presented in When Mayors Take Charge were commissioned by the Public Advocate’s School Governance Commission.

Contributors include: Clara Hemphill, New School University; Jeffrey R. Henig, Columbia University; Michael Kirst, Stanford University; John Portz, Northeastern University; Diane Ravitch, New York University; Wilbur C. Rich, Wellesley College; Robert Schwartz, Harvard University; Dorothy Shipps, Baruch College; and Kenneth K. Wong, Brown University.

It also includes the first in-depth examination of mayoral control in New York City. The state law giving the mayor control of the schools sunsets in 2009. Read an excerpt of the opening letter by Public Advocate Gotbaum below:

"My professional interest in education policy began when I served as an assistant to Mayor John Lindsay.  Earlier, upon graduating from college, I taught school in Brazil and subsequently received a graduate degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. Since becoming public advocate in 2002, I have focused on the issue of education, and my office has prepared many reports on the school system and its policies. Often these reports have been critical."

Read the Full Text of the Letter from Public Advocate Gotbaum.