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Chancellor Klein Addresses Meeting On Local School Changes
The chancellor began with a quick explanation of the recent changes taking place in the city's public schools. He supported his address with graphs and text projected on a large video screen. The crowded room consisted mostly of parents, teachers and elected officials who chiefly came to hear about the closings of South Shore and Tilden high schools announced in December. When asked about the high schools, Klein pointed out that the graduation rate at those schools had dropped over the last few years to an all-time low requiring major changes. In an interview with the chancellor before the meeting, Klein stated, "When schools do not show academic success over a number of years, then we need to look at what is wrong and then sometimes make difficult decisions as in the case of South Shore and Tilden high schools." Speaker after speaker asked the chancellor why the changes were made without any consultation with school or community leaders. Joe Cook, the UFT chapter leader at Tilden, asked, "Why didn't the DOE offer any help if they knew there was a long history of failure" as Klein had said. City Council member Lew Fidler, who represents parts of Canarsie and other surrounding communities and is a member of the Council's education committee, questioned the chancellor about his lack of communication with the community and local elected officials. Klein promised to improve the communication when local communities are affected by their decisions. "That is why I am here tonight and tomorrow in Harlem," Klein told Fidler. Lenore Brown, a board member at the Brooklyn Education Collaborative, asked Klein what would be the relationship between CEC's and the NYC School Construction Authority, which has come under scrutiny in the past, under the reorganization plan. The chancellor said that there was a need for more schools and the CEC's would continue to be consulted in the future. Many in attendance left the meeting dissatisfied. Mitzila Hilton, the parent of a P.S. 268 fifth grader, felt the chancellor skirted the school closings issue. "I feel just as left out as before," she said. After the meeting many people commented that they felt "voiceless," since Klein has not consulted them or elected officials on anything that has taken place in community schools. Michelle Rhone, a dean at PS-IS 66, said, "The Chancellor and DOE do not communicate with anyone before they make decisions that affect everyone."
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