(squeak) budget passes PEP

Posted by Lindsey at 12:59 PM

The Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) passed the executive budget last night. Only one member, Manhattan representative Patrick Sullivan, voted nay. Sullivan said he was concerned that more resources were devoted to testing and charter schools while the bread-and-butter, general education classes that serve the majority of students would suffer from the cuts. Of course considering the mayor appoints 8 of the members of the panel (the 5 others are appointed by the borough presidents), it is not surprising that they passed his budget - especially in light of the mayor's history of firing members who don't agree with his decisions.

The meeting was scantily attended, despite the uproar over the budget cuts over the past few weeks, and many of the public comments had nothing to do with the budget vote. Meanwhile, one uninvited participant - a small brown mouse - darted around the audiences' feet at the MLK High School Complex auditorium. Chancellor Klein, who looked exhausted, sounded relieved to close the session and the monthly PEP meetings for the school year.

Top of the morning

Posted by helen at 8:17 AM

It may be the last Monday of the school year, but the work of education goes on: This evening at 6 pm, the Panel for Education Policy will hold public hearings at MLK High School complex; sign up at 5:30 pm for a 2-minute speaking slot.

Of the PEP's 13 members, 8 (including the Chancellor) are appointed by the Mayor, and 5 are named by boro presidents and must be public-school parents. As a group, the panel is charged with "approving standards, policies, objectives, and regulations that are directly related to educational achievement and student performance, as well as certain contracts, an estimated annual operating budget, and the DOE capital plan," according to the DOE. Should be quite a lively meeting.

And an interesting juxtaposition in the Times; while the editorial page praises New York's largely successful attempt to recruit and certify teachers who were solid, high-achieving college students, it overlooks a high attrition rate among young idealists who leave the public-school classroom, and poses, in another article, the 'paycheck or pay back' question, as Harvard grads flow to Wall Street and to high-power consultancies like McKinsey and Bain, instead of into public service, in medicine, government and -- yes -- education.