A city-sanctioned parents group will go to Albany this week to blast Mayor Bloomberg’s education policies in private meetings with state lawmakers — and the teachers union is happily driving the bus.
The Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council, appointed to represent all public-school parents, plans to attend “Lobby Day” on Wednesday.
More than 100 parent leaders, including members of CPAC, will board three buses chartered by the United Federation of Teachers. The UFT is also setting up meetings between parents and lawmakers — and buying hot lunches for all.
In addition, the union photocopied four new position papers, assembled folders, and printed CPAC-logo stickers for the covers.
“We’re happy to assist,” said Anthony Harmon, the UFT’s director of community and parent outreach.
The union’s eagerness to oblige is no surprise. All four position papers — on closing schools, school co-locations, college and career readiness, and governance — attack Bloomberg’s performance.
One states: “Mayoral Control in NYC has a culture of ‘My way or the highway’ at the expense of our children, families and schools.”
On preparing students, another jabs, Bloomberg rode to a third term touting test scores “so ridiculously inflated that only a fool would take them seriously.”
The parents group also calls for moratoriums on two of Bloomberg’s key initiatives: co-locations, which squeeze new schools into existing buildings, and the closing of failing schools without more help to improve. The UFT also calls for a moratorium on closing schools.
Sam Pirozzolo, president of Community Education Council 31 on Staten Island, said the union favors parents “who are in complete agreement with the UFT agenda — which may not be the best for our students.”
Pirozzolo found it ironic that the chancellor created the parent group.
“He’s given them the keys to the castle, and it turns out they’re the enemy at the gate,” he said.
But Jane Reiff, a CPAC co-chair, said Chancellor Dennis Walcott has rarely sought its advice, and snubbed its views.
“We’re not really listened to anyway. It’s all about what the mayor wants,” she said.
Reiff, who has a son at Townsend Harris HS and a daughter in college, said she penned the papers herself, though the UFT met with the parent group to discuss issues, and sent her research materials.
“They sent me a summary of all their positions, without telling us what to do,” Reiff said.
The union’s aid was “amazing,” she said.
But Mona Davids, president of the NYC Parents Union, is aghast that teacher evaluations— and Gov. Cuomo’s slashing $250 million in city aid because Bloomberg and the UFT failed to agree on an evaluation system — gets no mention in the position papers.
“That should be the most pressing issue. How is that not the priority? ” asked Davids, one of several parents who have sued Cuomo over his punitive action. A judge has temporarily blocked the state’s move.
Reiff said CPAC needs time to decide what kind of teacher evaluations to recommend.
A spokeswoman for Walcott said he had not seen the position papers, and had no comment.