But school construction can be funded by bonds. Due to Tweed’s denial of a school space crunch, they’re BLOWING money out of the OPERATING budget to cover LEASED space. And the state doesn’t share the cost of leases. Total waste.

And we are talking about a mayor willing to pump $1.5B (I was mistaken when I wrote $1B earlier) into a new police academy covering 35 acres.

It’s not about the economy… when you see priorities such as these. It’s about policy. It’s about a billionaire log-rolling both the city council and non-billionaire rivals to stay on, and a pro-charter antitrust attorney deciding what’s best for our kids.

It’s about the usurping of democracy in New York City.

The Parent Commission wants a “Partnership” due to the littany of well-documented pitfalls of the last seven years. There’s nothing “preposterous” about it. It’s may be pioneering and even “Solomonic,” but it’s modest from a national perspective.* To whit: In many cities, We The People elect a School Board, which sets policy, and which in turn hires a Superintendent to implement. Budgets get haggled out with the Mayor and City Council.

To your points as a laudably participating parent, Mayoral Control is not so much about what happens within a school walls so much as what the current regime is doing outside those school walls on a systemic and systematic basis. I have no doubt that Bloomberg and Klein encourage parent involvement in the schools; my objection is they want parent input LIMITED to their local school. Easy examples: Has any of our letter writing restored the 5% budget cut? Provided adequate school construction in the Capital Plan? (** crickets **)

* $1 says you modify your stance after reading the proposal:
http(colon)//gothamschools(dot)org/2009/03/13/parent-commission-reduce-mayor%e2%80%99s-board-appointees-to-three/

But that doesn’t make any of them shills or fakes as you continuously allege.

And NO ONE is arguing for a return to the old system. It’s a “straw man.” THAT’s the argument that doesnt’ “hold water.”

Let’s move on. Now then, which policy would you like to discuss — that you think more parental input would jeopardize?

As a parent who objects to the way our education system has become distorted, I object to everything being attributed to the teachers union. They have their issues, but I have mine–our children and their education!

According to popular wisdom, we live in a democracy. If you don’t want to participate and have a say in how your tax dollars are spent and how future citizens are made, fine; no one is forcing you.

But, I and most parents I know (not to mention total strangers who stop me in supermarkets on the train, etc. when they see my MORE TEACHING, LESS TESTING button) are VERY concerned about what’s going on in the schools and OUTRAGED that they, their city council members, etc. are apparently COMPLETELY powerless to effect change. Last time I checked, that was not a hallmark of democracy.

And, you seem to really have it in for the teachers’ union, Dissenter. To be frank, it kind of makes you sound like a nutty conspiracy theorist: everything appears to be the fault of the teachers’ union in your worldview. Wait! Are they the reason my bus came late this afternoon? I mean, I’m not a teacher, but they do sound scary powerful.

I also agree it’s union chicanery, and this Randi Weingarten woman is only pretending to support Mikey, while in secret she’s plotting to ask for more money for those awful teachers, who are always blathering on about one thing or another. Frankly, they make me ill with their demands of lower class sizes, and time off for this and that.

Fire them all, I say, and give them something to really complain about. And as for the rabble, we’ll train them to do what needs to be done. No more of this namby-pamby mollycoddling.