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Principals' Union Calls For State Takeover Of NYC Schools In Symbolic No-Confidence Vote In De Blasio
By
Sophia Chang
Published Sep 27, 2020
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By
Sophia Chang
Published Sep 27, 2020
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The New York City principals union has called for a state takeover of the city’s school system after its executive board cast a largely symbolic no-confidence vote in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s schools reopening plan Sunday out of frustration.
“All summer long we've been running into roadblock after roadblock with changing guidance, confusing guidance,” said Mark Cannizzaro, the president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, in a remote press conference onSunday. “So the frustration and the difficulty is immense.”
It’s unclear what the state could do in terms of oversight of the city’s school system, which has been under mayoral control since 2002. A request for comment to the state Education Department was not answered on Sunday.
The actions of the CSA’s executive board, which took the unanimous no-confidence vote, will not affect the next phase of school reopening on Tuesday for K-5 and K-8 students for in-person learning.
“We are still 100% supportive of trying to open our schools in the best possible way we can. Our principals will be there on Tuesday. Our teachers we know will be there on Tuesday, and we're going to do everything we can to make the children's experience the best they possibly can,” Cannizzaro said. A strike or job action is not currently an option, he added: “a job action is even a more egregious step than what we took, and we’re right now in the middle of a pandemic -- our kids need us.”
The CSA's vote was taken after the Department of Education and the United Federation of Teachers union announced Friday that they came to an agreement to allow more teachers to work remotely if they live with relatives with health issues, or if they are only teaching remote classes.
Cannizzaro said this decision needed to include principals because the agreement upends schedules and planning just days before the majority of students return to school this week.
“This was an agreement that they made. We were disappointed that the mayor and Chancellor didn't share the agreement with us before it was out there,” he said. Having the state involved would be “helpful" in facilitating communication on big decisions, Cannizzaro said. “If something is going to affect the school leaders and how they run their buildings, the first group of people to know about this should be school leaders to give them an opportunity to ask questions and digest what this means,” he said.
In a statement supported by the Mayor's office, the DOE said that the unions have helped shape the reopening plan all along.
“For the past six months, we’ve worked with our labor partners to navigate completely uncharted waters and accomplish our shared goal of serving students this fall," said Miranda Barbot, DOE spokesperson in a statement. "We’ll continue this work to guarantee a safe, health and successful opening for all. This week, more kids will be safely sitting in New York City classrooms than in any other major American city — a testament to city leadership and our educators’ commitment to their students, and the importance of in-person education."
The city’s back-to-school plan commenced with a staggered reopening plan where 3K and pre-K kids, and students in District 75 schools, returned to school buildings on September 21st. After the K-5 and K-8 students return Tuesday, the middle and high schoolers will return on Thursday, along with transfer school and adult education students.
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COVID-19
coronavirus
schools reopening
Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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