Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: November 22, 1996

Release #604-96

Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Jack Deacy (212) 788 - 2969


MAYOR GIULIANI, GOVERNOR PATAKI , CHANCELLOR CREW
URGE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS TO SUPPORT EDUCATIONAL REFORMS

Governor Will Call Special Legislative Session On School Governance

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today joined Governor George E. Pataki and Schools Chancellor Rudolph F. Crew in urging legislative leaders and lawmakers to support a package of educational reforms that the City will offer at a special legislative session that Governor Pataki has agreed to call next month. Also attending a press conference at PS 163 on West 97th Street in Manhattan in support of the reforms were State Senators Roy Goodman and Guy Velella, Council of Supervisors and Administrators President Donald Singer and Board of Education President William Thompson.

"For the past year, I have been working closely with Chancellor Crew and others to bring about real management and budget reform to the Board of Education ," Mayor Giuliani said. "We have been making real progress in getting more resources to students and teachers in the classrooms. But now we need immediate help from the State Legislature to insure that the Chancellor has the tools he needs to improve the management of community school districts."

"I want to thank Governor Pataki for agreeing to call a special legislative session and for his support for our package of reforms," the Mayor continued. "When we reached out for his support, he was there for the children and parents of New York City."

"I have also spoken to Assembly Speaker Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and asked them and the members of the State Legislature to consider doing these important educational reforms immediately. They have both indicated that they will give these measures serious consideration. I believe there is broad bipartisan support for these reforms and the time to act is now."

The legislative reform package that New York City would send to the Legislature for their consideration would:

-enable the Chancellor to supersede actions of community school boards and suspend and remove board members for persistent educational failure;

-give the Chancellor the power to select district superintendents in consultation with parents groups and community school boards;

authorize the Chancellor to prescribe training requirements for community school board members, superintendents and principals and;

-give district superintendents hiring responsibilities within community school districts.

"Despite the best intentions of many educators and parents, the current system has not met the educational needs of many of our children for far too long," said Governor Pataki, who also announced he will call the State Legislature into special session to address school governance. "We spend billions of dollars each year on an education system that does not effectively educate too many of our children and does not prepare them adequately for a productive future."

"We need real reforms to ensure the money we invest in education delivers real results for our children -- and we need those reforms now," the Governor added. "These issues have broad support and can be approved quickly. I call on the Legislature to approve these changes as we continue to work toward a consensus on other needed reforms. Mayor Giuliani has demonstrated his commitment to the children of New York by taking these first steps towards reform now despite our shared belief that more are needed. I urge the Legislature to follow the Mayor's example and find common ground so we can enact these important reforms immediately."



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