Parents now have until April 22 to nominate themselves to serve on one of the 36 Community and Citywide Education Councils -- and they can even text to get application information, in addition to applying online or by mail.

The original deadline to submit applications was April 9.

Schools Chancellor Cathy Black and Ojeda Hall, director of the Office for Family Information and Action, today issued a call for more applicants and parent participation.

"We want our CEC membership to reflect a cross-section of our school communities and the diversity of our student population so we have

extended our application deadline to April 22," said Ojeda Hall. "This is a great opportunity for parents who have not been engaged before in the

education process to become informed and active."

In past years it has been hard to fill the seats on some councils and this year appears to be no exception. The councils serve largely as advisory boards which can advocate  on zoning, how school buildings are used, and how DOE policies affect schools in each district, but they have little decision-making power.

Parents interested in serving on one of the Community District Education Councils, Citywide Council on High Schools, Citywide

Council on English Language Learners, Citywide Council on Special Education or District 75 Council can text "APPLY" to 877877 to receive application information. Or they can fill out and submit applications online or via mail.

See the DOE's press release for more details.