Six mayoral hopefuls showed up on Tuesday night for the Democratic Mayoral Candidate forum for parents at Eagle Academy for Young Men in the Bronx. Below are highlights of most of the questions asked and answered, reported by Jacquie Wayans, assignment editor at Insideschools and the mother of an Eagle student. The statements are not direct quotes but a synopsis of each candidate's response.

Q1: What would you seek to accomplish within your first 100 days of office?

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John C. Liu

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Christine Quinn

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WilliamThompson

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Adolfo Carrion

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Bill DeBlasio

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Stop the pipeline to prison and create cradle to career instead.

 

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Allocate resources so that every neighborhood can have good schools. Extend the school day and expand successful models of existing schools.

 

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Choose a chancellor who is an educator. Encourage critical thinking and not memorization for standardized tests. Form a parent academy with a clear message that families should be involved.

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Jobs where our children contribute to the economy and climb up the employment ladder.

 

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Tax the wealthiest to improve schools. Implement Full day Universal Pre-k. Guaranteed 3 hour after school for middle school.

 

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Q2: By show of hands, how many would still support mayoral control?”

All candidates raised their hands, but all said they would implement changes.

Q3: What major initiatives of mayoral control would you keep? What would you get rid of?

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Lui

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Quinn

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Thompson

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Carrion

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DeBlasio

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Albanese

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Keep - “The buck stops with the Mayor” but mean it. Rid - shutting down  failing schools and move from testing to teaching.

 

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Rid- living and dying by test and move more schools to portfolio model.

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Keep - More Eagle Academies (lol). More career & technical education. Rid - from day one – stop closing schools.

 

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Keep – accountability and responsibility on mayor. Rid – stop posturing with the teachers union.

 

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Keep testing but utilize a better system so that it can be done right. Rid – parents being disrespected.

 

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Rid – high stakes testing. Invest in teaching corps with 1 year internship.  Promote pediatric wellness.

 

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  • DeBlasio challenged Quinn on the issue of high stakes testing. Click to see NY1 coverage.

Q3: Would you continue to support single gender education?

All said yes.

Q4: Cathy Black – Show of hands that believe next chancellor must be an educator?

All hands went up, except Quinn's.

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Quinn

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DeBlasio

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Liu

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Carrion

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Thompson

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I don’t believe the next chancellor has to be an educator and I will look at all options.

 

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Disagreed sharply. We need an educator, the whole system will not respect non-educator.

 

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State law requires an educator to be chancellor. As mayor, I would follow state law. Handling schools like  business divisions is not fostering learning .

 

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(No longer present. He left early for another panel discussion)

 

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We haven’t had a serious discussion on an educational vision and direction in 12 years.

 

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Q6: Do you support the teacher evaluation system supporting teacher terminations?

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DeBlasio

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Albanese

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Liu

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Quinn

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Thompson

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Yes, I think it is right – the 2 year timeline can work. Bigger challenge is teacher retention.

 

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Need to recruit and support teachers. Need to train and use best practices.

 

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Teacher evals should be about making teachers better not getting rid of them. The evaluations should be done by educators and not outside consultants. Peer reviews are also important; other teachers don’t want bad teachers in the classroom.

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Implement teacher modeling based upon a Texas model.

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Use a combination of test, principal evaluations and peer evaluations.

 

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Q7: Describe a time when the UFT was wrong on a position

See Gotham Schools for a description of their different perspectives. (DeBlasio & Albanese left after that question.)

Q8: Would you continue the co-locations of DOE schools and charters

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Liu

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Quinn

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Thompson

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I don’t think the co-locations work. I see stark differences in charters from other public schools and it sends a terrible message to kids. This is classism. It’s playing shell games with our children’s lives.

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Both sides say co-locations are not working. I don’t want to eliminate charters as an option, but it is not the answer – however, there is no way to do that without co-location. I would clarify the process and make it transparent.

 

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I agree with Liu. Put an end to co-locations. Schools are closed without consultation. Announcements of 72 new schools and only 2 are actually new. Students can’t be second class citizens in their own building.

 

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Last Question: Budget – How would you hold the DOE accountable?

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Quinn

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Thompson

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Liu

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I’d make the budget municipal-controlled and then parents can get involved and go to the city office to raise their voices. Make a full city agency for balance of power, as every other city agency, and clear reporting.

 

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Agrees with Quinn. Would also have annual budgets published and go back to a budget breakdown.

 

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I agree but I am more concerned about ending the millions spent at headquarters on no-bid contracts.

 

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Each remaining candidate had one minute for a closing statement.

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Quinn

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Liu

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Thompson

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I want NYC to have the best schools and best choices. Engage all stake holders in conversation, bringing resources into schools and not central. Take a look at what we are doing well and replicate it. Schedule longer school days, evaluate teachers and move from testing.

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I am a product of NYC public schools, came here as an immigrant and didn’t know the language. My wife and my kids are also products of NYC public education. We have some of the best schools in the country and we must reinforce and reinvigorate the system.

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Mayor Bloomerg wanted to be known for education. I want NYC to be known as the education city. We must involve all stakeholders again. I would select a chancellor with a background in education. I would move away from this “One size fits all” mentality for our schools. I will not sentence our kids to poverty.

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