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coalition building
March 5, 2009
Pro-mayoral control lobbying group adds new members
Community groups from Crown Heights, East Harlem, and the Ridgewood section of Queens are the latest to sign on with Learn NY, the group lobbying to preserve mayoral control.
The law that created mayoral control is set to expire at the end of June, and state legislators are currently grappling with whether to preserve, eliminate, or alter the school governance system. Learn NY is trying to amass a coalition to show legislators that many New Yorkers are happy with mayoral control as it currently exists.
Yesterday the group announced that the coalition now has 40 members, up from just over 30 a month ago. The new additions range in size from a single person, in the case of Demetrius Carolina, pastor of Staten Island’s First Central Baptist Church, to all of Fordham University.
One of the organizations added to the list yesterday also runs one of the nine support networks that principals can hire to provide training for teachers. Fordham University’s network currently works with 10 schools. Other coalition members, including Urban Assembly, Ghetto Film School, and the Young Women’s Leadership Network, are lead partners for DOE schools created during Mayor Bloomberg’s administration. In the past, Bloomberg has been criticized for citing as backers organizations to which he or the city gives financial support.
Learn NY has solicited backers in a “grassroots” fashion since launching late last year, by reaching out to community groups and trying to sell them on Learn NY’s platform, spokeswoman Julie Wood told me. Member organizations aren’t expected to do more than let Learn NY make its case to their constituents, Wood said. The goal is for those constituents then to write their legislators or turn out at Assembly hearings on mayoral control like the one held in Manhattan last month.
Wood said the coalition is still looking for partners and would begin holding public events, rather than events just for its member organizations, in the next few weeks.
“We’ll keep talking to people until the day a bill is passed,” she said.
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March 5th, 2009 9:48 pm
Learn NY has solicited backers in a “grassroots” fashion, by offering community groups $500 and up to sponsor meetings where Learn NY can present their one-sided perspective on Mayoral control.
This is grassroots organizing, Bloomberg style. In other venues, it might be called bribery.
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March 5th, 2009 10:02 pm
At least they didn’t call it “G-r-a-d-u-a-t-e NY.”
CECD2’s recent resolution protesting the draft Proposed 2010-2014 Capital Plan (see link) states:
“Whereas, it has been established that New York City’s high schools have a 49% four-year graduation rate (30% for black males), smaller class sizes in high schools could better afford teachers the ability to concentrate on the educational needs of each individual high school student, so as to ensure graduation and a meaningful placement either in college or in the work force;”BTW, who’s paying for that subway ad campaign touting the Mayor and Chancellor’s record, and has there been any independent fact-checking?
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March 6th, 2009 5:52 am
Learn NY is not recruiting “grass roots” supporters. The list released yesterday includes 11 organizations who received funds from Bloomberg’s personal philanthropy through the Carnegie Corporation and least ten organizations that received nearly $14,000,000 in no bid contracts from DOE.
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March 6th, 2009 8:40 am
You mean the “keep it going” ads Mike? I think those are DOE.
Setting aside the merits of the issue/topic, as a designer, I find those ads to be excellent. Clear, simple, unmistakeable message that sticks in your head.
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March 6th, 2009 10:59 am
These are organizations that work in and care about our educational system, utilizing open forums and community outreach to raise awareness. Parents need to be informed in order to make important decisions about student education. Only a few years ago the NYC school system was deteriorating on our watch. It’s heartening to see so many groups working together to focus on quality student education.
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March 6th, 2009 2:13 pm
Abby, the school system was not deteriorating prior to the Bloomberg/Klein. Parent involvement thrived until 2002. The organizations announced by Learn NY are collectors of cash. Why haven’t these organizations fought for class size reduction,to eliminate overcrowding, etc. You have bought into the City Hall spin. The folks at Tweed have manipuated data to satisy their needs. Maybe this election year parents,students and dedicated teachers will see the return of real parent involvement in their children’s education.
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