Schools Chancellor and L.I.C. native Joel Klein. Already, some things are clear. The year-old parent advisory councils will start their second year with plenty of new members from Queens. Each CEC is made up of 11 voting members, nine of whom are elected by the president, secretary and treasurer of each elementary and junior/middle school in the district. In Districts 27, 28 and 30, at least 6 of those 9 members will be new. A secretary at CEC 27’s office said simply, “That’s how the PTA voted.” What They Are Running For CECs are the year-old advisory panel that replaced school boards in each of the city’s 59 school districts. With the exception of the two Borough President appointees (expected to be announced next month), each CEC member must be a parent of a public school student in the district. CEC members serve two-year terms, which are unpaid. Although only the executive members of a Parent Association can vote for CEC members, parents can, and are encouraged to, lobby for the candidate they like. Those who were elected recently must now have their conflict of interest and other eligibility information verified by state officials. There are two citywide CECs: one for high schools and one for special education; each with a representative from the city’s 10 regions. The CECs hold monthly meetings that are open to the public. The DOE and CEC On the DOE Web site, the department explains, “The Councils are responsible for promoting the achievement of educational standards and objectives relating to the instruction of students and must establish a positive working relationship with the community superintendent and local instructional superintendents.” On at least one occasion, those “objectives” and “standards” were determined with little outside input. Last year, Mayor Bloomberg removed three members of the Panel for Educational Policy that said they would oppose the ban on “social promotion.” In explaining the removal of those members, a City Hall spokesperson told the Tribune, “Mayoral control means mayoral control.” Recommendations made by the CEC, like those of Community Boards, are not binding. They do, though, have the authority to evaluate community superintendents and local instructional supervisors. Also, the CECs are the only entity that can approve changes in school zoning lines, which are proposed by the community superintendent. The job of each CEC member, according to CEC 24 President Nick Comaianna, “is to watch the DOE, the same people who provide the training and give them their budgets.” “We’re our own organization. We’re put in there by the Legislature…[and] make no mistake about it, the chancellor is not our boss.” Who is Running Queens run-offs are being held in School Districts 26, 27 and 28. Part of each candidate’s application can be viewed online at http://www.nycenet.edu/Councils/2005SelectionCampaign/ReadCandidatesApplications. In District 26, which covers schools from Douglaston and Bellerose to Flushing and Bayside, candidates Carol Gomez and Jodi Nath are vying for one seat. In District 27, representing schools from Arverne and Woodhaven to Jamaica and Howard Beach, there are six candidates vying for two seats. In District 28, representing schools from Richmond Hill to Forest Hills and Jamaica, there are four candidates running for a single seat. Without referring to specific candidates, Comaianna said, “A lot of the people running really didn’t know what they were running for.” I Volunteer When Required In District 27, the candidates are Lourdes Castillo, who got her visually impaired daughter more services by becoming “a worm in an apple” of the DOE’s bureaucracy; and Keisha Cunningham, who says “I would be very effective in getting results and a [sic] very people person.” “I will make it my business to be informed,” said Carolyn Gainey, who also wrote on her CEC application: “Note: my son is in the gifted program.” Edward Hartman said he has “the insight of what is needed in the schools,” because he went to one. In Inderiajeet Hiralal’s typewritten statement, he noted, “I participate in most civic-sponsored activities in our area and perform volunteer work when required.” Ingreid Lamarche noted that “Although I participated in different school parent’s associations at my children’s schools in the Dominican Republic, I have not yet had the opportunity at their present school as I’ve only been in New York for eight months.” “A Citizen Who Really Cares” Lydia Aviles, a candidate in District 28, explained her candidacy in one sentence: “I would like for my children’s school to have a voice and be aware of what is going on and help, in any way that I can!” Emily Ades explained, “I am an educator with two masters degrees and most significantly a citizen who really cares about the quality of public education…” Amy Ellis said she’d like to “strengthen the already existing policies or by adding some of my own suggestions, of which I have plenty…” Laurie Kennedy, eager to prove her tutoring credentials, noted in her application, “I can give you more than 30 children whom I tutor and care for.” Those looking for the last remaining seat on the Citywide Council on Special Education are Middle Village resident Debbie Miketta, who writes in her CEC application she is “a whiz @ internet research,” and Carmen Solivan-Martinez, who said she has “a lot of patience and plenty of love to spread.” On Their Own An association of CEC members throughout the City has already formed to help coordinate their efforts. Comaianni, President of CEC 24, heads up the Queens effort to rally CEC members into this organization. Referring to the limited power granted to the CECs under state law, Comaianni said, “Its very frustrating...yet very needed.” Community Education Council Members District 24 Lelani Bomani – new Nancy Carbone Nick Comaianni Dominic Coticchio Dmytro Fedkowskyj Margaret Kolb William Kregler Debora Martinez – new Ieda Reyes – new District 25 Diann Chan – new Joanne Colorundo Pamela Fisher Josephine Karras Margaret Anthony Mampilly – new Bernadette Taylor Stewart Weinberg District 26 Robert Caloras - new Melissa Dorfman Edward Fallacaro – new Sandra Gonzales Jaqueline Montgomery Rich Olson Susan Shiroma – new Bona Sun District 27 Anthony Allia Tatiana Arboleda – new Andrew Baumann – new Colette Christian – new Cynthia DellItalia – new Weslyn Oge-Timmer - new Mathew Regan – new District 28 Roberto Alvarez – new Patricia Diggs – new Antonitsa Georgiades Marilyn Hurtado – new Nitza Mercado – new Serena Rosario-Stanley – new Joseph Trotti Kenneth Williams – new District 29 Tamu Arnoux Herman Bagley – new Dennis Coke Dion Harrigan – new Lisha Manning – new John Tillman De Vora Watson-Campbell Tony Williams - new Charles Woods District 30 Yolanda Baricevic Ernest Brooks – new Cornelia Caraballo – new Alexandra Contreas – new Lavinia Galatis Antonitsa Georgiades – new Jeffrey Guyton Shing Wong – new Catherine Yankopoulos – new Citywide Council on High Schools Region 3 Anthony Scarnati Region 4 Sandra Brown Region 5 Walter Lynch

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