From: Nicola DeMarco
Re: The Bogus meeting of “The New York City Board of Education” on July 1, 2009
Date: July 2, 2009
Legally Questionable Meeting on July 1, 2009 at 52 Chambers Street, New York
1. Who called the first “Board of Education” meeting today?
2. Under what legal authority was it called?
3. Since the Board of Education was originally created by the 1969 New York State law on school decentralization, and no similar state law was enacted on July 1, 2009, under what legal authority was a “Board of Education” created today?
4. Where are the minutes of the meeting?
5. Was it open to the public? Where was the meeting announced?
6. Did that announcement contain specific details as to the time, place and date of the meeting? Did that announcement contain a phone number, address and/or email for the public to contact for details?
7. Are all the members chosen to serve on the “Board of Education” residents of New York City?
8. A Deputy Mayor serving as President of the Board of Education is a conflict of interest, violates the separation of powers since the Board of education is no longer part of the executive/mayoral branch. Never before has a Deputy Mayor served on the Board of Education.
9. If the Mayor is angry that the State Senate is not meeting to vote, why isn't he angry that this bogus "Board of Education" is not meeting or doing any work until September 10, after school opens and only met yesterday for less than an hour? With over 1.1 million children depending on them, that is gross negligence.
11. Although the vast majority of children in our schools are Black and Latino, only 2 of the seven members of the bogus “Board of Education” are Black or Latino. How does this represent the needs of the students?
12. What is this teaching our children about democracy?
Nicola DeMarco
Regarding point 11. What you're basically saying is that the only person capable of understanding a black is a black. The same is true of whites, latinos and so on. Racist much?
ReplyDeleteRe Matt's comment: No need to repeat the Sotomayor issue. Who can best speak for whom will be argued back and forth as long as indisputable differences of culture and class exist.
ReplyDeleteAs to the list of questions. I was thinking along the same lines the minute the mayor stepped in so quickly to do this. I suspect -- but have no knowledge of the law -- that it was a power grab (much like Katrina, etc.).
Sometimes it seems that we're living in a third world dictatorship in this city. The spoiled little rich boy didn't get his way so he stages a coup? I am thoroughly disgusted with this mayor and his entire administration. I hope everyone remembers this on election day. THERE IS A CHOICE!
ReplyDeleteAs usual, Under Assault was right on target.
ReplyDeletePlease consider reading Naomi Klein’s “Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.” Although the DoE and its partner in abuse and torment and lies, the UFT, are not specifically mentioned in her fine book, they fit into the parameters of what she so eloquently describes.
Either a natural (usually weather-related) or manmade (war, a coup, etc.) disaster is IMMEDIATELY followed by the conditioning of the reeling population. The conditioning is carried out by government and related personnel (think: corporations, hideously “wealthy”* people) in order to impose deadly limitations, control and domination upon people just trying to assimilate the disaster that has just ripped their lives apart.
Like others, I rejoiced when the little mayor lost his bid for yet longer control over the DoE by virtue of the NYS Senate circus. The little mayor, however, and his minions, took classic advantage of the Senate chaos to swiftly clamp down to ensure ongoing mayoral and kleincontrol over the lives of millions of citizens of New York City. He/they used confusion and lack of direction to impose yet more brutal domination upon this city.
This was probably predictable and completely consonant with how the oligarchy/dictatorship functions.
I wonder how this city’s teachers, school guidance counselors, social workers, secretaries, et al., and the parents, children, families will respond to this new and more threatening move.
Sari
* “wealthy” seems to me to mean suffering from a severe lack of every character and quality and emotional capacity that makes life meaningful and rich and worthwhile.
In response to Matt: Point 11 simply says that if the demographics of the city schools are mostly Black and Latino, the Board of Education should have people on it from those communitites. Try having a city council without representatives from every corner of the city. I do not believe only people from a certain culture can teach those of that same culture. That is ridiculous. What I am saying is that there is a Black community in this City and in this country that has been disenfranchised for centuries and left out of our power structure. When we use education to build communities, we must include, not EXCLUDE, those members. Here it is the Black and Latino community that is being excluded. When Europeans, such as my own ancestors, went to Africa and destroyed families, villages, religions, languages and educational systems, no real effort has since been made to heal those wounds and make the African people whole again. In fact, one of the main rules of American slavery was to ban all reading and writing among slaves. So, here we are in 2009 with a Mayor and Chancellor screaming "Hey look at how I help Black and Latino kids get higher standardized test scores!" while excluding Blacks and Latinos from membership on the Board of Education and relegating teachers of color to "rubber room" humiliation. This should not happen to any community. Klein and Bloomberg need to go.
ReplyDelete