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Running for: City Council, District 33, Brooklyn

Political Party: Democratic

Current job: Disability civil rights lawyer

Web site: JoAnneforCouncil.com

2. Have you received campaign contributions from the following education‐related political action committees?

Democrats for Education Reform No
United Federation of Teachers No
Council of School Supervisors and Administrators No
New York Education Voters No
Educational Justice PAC No

3. Do you have children in the public school system? No

4. Do you support programs like Teaching Fellows and Teach for America? Yes

5. Do you support efforts to stop the growth of charter schools? Yes, with reservations (refer to answer #12 as well)

6. Would you preserve school report cards as they are now? No

7. Do you believe test scores should be a factor in determining whether teachers receive tenure? No

8. Do you support the 2009 law giving the mayor control of the public schools? Yes, but there should be more checks and balances limiting the mayor’s power. Checks and balances are fundamental to our constitutional system and no executive should have unilateral control over any public body. Public education is a right and must be protected as such.

9. What letter grade would you give the public schools in your district right now? B+

11. Do you support Joel Klein remaining chancellor of the city’s schools? No If not, who would you suggest to replace him? An educator

12. What’s an appropriate cap for charter schools, or should they exist at all (the current cap is 200 statewide)?  I would slow the creation of new charter schools and exercise greater care in their siting. We do not yet know why some charter schools are more successful than others and time is needed to evaluate this.  The placement of charter schools in pockets around the city creates a growing likelihood that public schools will no longer be a presence in some neighborhoods, when they should be a bedrock of community.

13. What’s the best way to improve a struggling public school? You need to implement strong educational leadership, actively involve parents, offer a consistent curriculum, maintain a safe and orderly environment and inspire high expectations.

14. What’s the single greatest problem facing the schools in your district and what specific policy would you propose to combat it? The single greatest problem facing our schools is a lack of resources. We need to spend less educational dollars on outside consultants and bureaucracy and channel those dollars back into the classrooms. I would restore music and art programs and after-school activities. In addition, I have long advocated for smaller class size.  As a special educator and advocate, I know that class size is a key feature in appropriate educational programming with continuing development of educators in the areas that they have identified as needs.