GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

At the end of last week, GothamSchools checked out the situation at several registration centers in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. We saw a lot of tired, frustrated families, but in general the centers appeared to be working, albeit slowly.

But apparently not all of the registration centers have been getting the job done. Early this morning, on the fourth day of the school year, Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum visited the Bronx Integrated Service Center — and found more than 150 people in line to receive school placements, according to her blog. Some of the families had returned every morning this week but still hadn’t been offered schools for their children, many of whom have special needs, she reported. To make matters worse, Gotbaum writes, she couldn’t find out what was inhibiting the ISC from helping the families, because employees told her they weren’t permitted to speak to her.

Betsy Gotbaum

The long-awaited report of Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum’s Commission on School Governance was released this morning, and previews in the Sun and Times reveal that the panel of experts has concluded that mayoral control should survive — but with some improvements. More specifically, the papers report, the commission suggests enhancing parent input in DOE decision-making, giving the city more financial oversight of the DOE, and changing the Panel for Educational Policy so that members serve fixed terms, rather than at the pleasure of the mayor.

We’ll have more on the commission’s report later, but for now, check out Gotbaum’s new blog, Public Advocate’s Corner, which launched earlier this week. Gotbaum’s office promises extensive coverage of education issues, and already, the blog has tackled the effect of overcrowding on one Queens school, laid out questions for the DOE at the start of a new school year, and probed “the problem with District Family Advocates.” Continue to check in at the blog for an informed, critical look at the schools and other city services.