Queens’ CEC 26 approved two resolutions and a statement related to Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month during a May 12 Zoom meeting.
The resolutions included extending mayoral accountability to the Department of Education and implementing a performance-management and compensation system for administrative assistants employed by Citywide and Community Education Councils (CCEC).
The resolution related to mayoral accountability comes in part due to a New York Daily News report on May 8 that the Department of Education intends to implement a major organizational change by closing borough support offices and shifting power and responsibility to district superintendents.
The council is now asking the state Legislature to extend mayoral accountability for the New York City Department of Education to June 30, 2026. They also ask that there be renewable periods every four years.
“CEC 26 requires Chancellor [David Banks] to formalize a process to continue soliciting input and feedback from the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council and Citywide and Community Education Councils, as the primary stakeholders, prior to finalizing and implementing major policy changes,” the council’s resolution said. “CEC 26 requires the Chancellor to uphold his promise that in recognition ‘there is no one-size-fits-all solution,’ community districts be granted greater autonomy to determine and/or tailor policies at the district level.”
New York State Senator John Liu ended up meeting with New York City Mayor Eric Adams on May 17 to discuss mayoral accountability in the city’s school system. According to Liu, Mayor Adams was direct about the needs of his administration and the city’s school system and their accountability when talking to legislatures.
““I expect a resolution on the issue of mayoral control soon,” Liu said. “We won’t see a return to the local school board system of 20 years ago, nor will we see a four year extension of mayoral control without any changes. I expect that he will retain control so the public, including parents, educators, activists and legislators, can hold him accountable, but there will also be changes so that parents will have more meaningful input into how our schools are run.”
The second resolution cites the absence of a collective bargaining agreement for all administrative assistants employed by the CCEC. The resolution will result in them strongly urging the New York City Department of Education Deputy Chancellor of Family and Community Engagement and External Affairs Kenita Lloyd to revise the policy governing the compensation of administrative assistants to facilitate a performance-based compensation system using a CCEC’s budget. They specifically ask that the amount of compensation be allowed to change each year based on performance evaluation results for administrative assistants.
The statement related to AAPI heritage month was directed at Chancellor Banks. Specifically, they requested a citywide celebration of the month in response to the rise of anti-Asian hate incidents in New York City.
“In our Resolution to Prevent Anti-Asian Racism and Bullying in Schools, passed on Oct. 21, 2021, we urged the previous mayor and chancellor to take concrete actions to prevent anti-Asian racism,” CEC 26 said in their statement. “Aside from including a comprehensive historical experience of the Asian-American community in the next revision to the school curriculum, we also recommended holding celebrations of AAPI Heritage Month in all schools city-wide. Please join the community in the monthlong celebrations of the Asian-American Pacific Islander cultures.”
