CEC veteran and regular contributor Jennifer Freeman takes nuts-and-bolts questions about CECs in advance of the upcoming CEC elections.

Q: Why should people run for their Community Education Council?

A: CEC members are advocates for parents on local, district-level education issues, such as how school buildings are used and how DOE policies affect schools in each district. Being a CEC member is a way of giving back to your community.

Right now there's a debate going on about the role of CECs, District Leadership Teams, and the Panel for Education Policy, all of which are drastically weakened versions of the community school boards and Board of Ed that existed before mayoral control became law. It may be that some powers and duties will be strengthened during the coming term. In any case, the new candidates could be a part of the debate.

Q: How do CEC members get their voices heard?

A: Since public policy is made by individuals, getting to know people at DOE gives you a chance to influence that policy. As a member of your CEC, you get to sit in a room every once in a while with 30 to 40 other parent advocates and speak directly to the chancellor. (Even the state education committee doesn't have this kind of access.) You also have opportunities to meet and talk with parent leaders from across the city. You can get to know your community superintendent and DOE officials by working with them at meetings. If you seek information from the DOE, your calls are likely to be answered.

Q: How do people run for CEC positions?

A: Parents of current public school students can nominate themselves through March 14 via an online process created and administered by the Department of Education. DOE says the process will be online starting Monday, February 23rd at the new website they are calling "powertotheparents.org." Candidates will have the chance to present their ideas at one candidate forum, and elections will be held in mid-May.

The DOE has hired a small nonprofit organization called Grassroots Initiative to try to get more parents to step up and run. Jeff Merritt, Grassroots' founder, used to work for the federal government helping recruit candidates and set up elections in new democracies such as Croatia and Albania. Back in the States, he founded Grassroots Initiative to help open up opportunities for people to participate in our democracy at home, starting by running for local office. Merritt’s goal is to help make the CEC selection process more inclusive and participatory. He said he will reach out in the coming weeks to parent leaders and community activists in each district and seek a wide variety of people to run for the councils. "Information will be distributed through elected officials, community-based organizations, houses of worship, libraries, on-the-street outreach, advertising, email, direct mail, and, to some extent, through the schools," he said.