Who we are
The Education Council Consortium (ECC) is a grassroots group of parents, advocates and community members working toward realizing the vision of a New York City public school system that is equitable, inclusive, antiracist and free of all forms of oppression and that provides an appropriate and humane education for all students in New York City.
The origin of the ECC
The first iteration of an organization composed of CCECs was under Chancellor Joel Klein, who convened CCEC Presidents for monthly Monday evening meetings shortly after the 2003 enactment of Mayoral control which created CCECs. Poor attendance and lack of commitment by the then Chancellor led to cessation of meetings.
Another iteration was ANYCEC: Association of NYC Education Councils, also short-lived but referred to by then Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer, in his report of 2006 Parents Dismissed. At that time many of the complaints we hear now were already emerging, including, but not limited to: lack of engagement of parent leaders in decision making; lack of training opportunities; lack of authority of the CCECs; low voter turnout.
Then in 2011 many CCEC members across the City came together during botched CCEC elections in which DOE decided to delay the voting after complaints of a poorly managed elections process. The listserve to connect CCEC members was created shortly after the 2011 elections debacle and has been used to communicate and share information since then. Several members attempted to come together in 2011 and into 2012. However, there were rampant charter school co-location and school phase out proposals that kept the CCECs busy advocating in their own districts.
In the summer of 2013, before the mayoral election, there remained a loose group of CCEC members from across the city, with no name and no bylaws. Ellen McHugh of the CCSE and Rachel Paster of District 30 CEC saw the new mayoral administration as an opportunity to come together and organized a meeting on October 13, 2013. They invited every CCEC and to their surprise, many showed up from across the city.
There was a lively discussion about creating an organization of CCECs, with many skeptical about the viability of such an organization in a city with so many flaws in the public education system. Many felt that the DOE would claim that the PEP and CPAC are adequate vehicles for community engagement. After intense discussion there was consensus to contact the new Mayor once the election was held. A small committee was formed to begin that effort.
After the mayoral election in 2013, the nascent organization, still unnamed, sent a letter to then Mayor-elect de Blasio outlining collective issues and seeking a response to the demands, which included that the chancellor that he would appoint must be an educator. The Mayor appointed Carmen Fariña, a former teacher, principal and district superintendent as chancellor.
Collaboration with the DOE
As a result of the advocacy, the Chancellor resumed meetings with CCEC Presidents and appointed CCEC members to various Mayoral Working Groups to develop recommendations (e.g., the School Space Working Group, chaired by Richard Buery, Deputy Mayor and the Blue Book Working Group, co-chaired by Lorraine Grillo, then President of the School Construction Authority and Shino Tanikawa, then CECD2 President). While the Mayor was implementing some welcome changes, the members of the CCECs continued to meet to ensure CCECs members were engaged in decision making processes. Members met in the evenings or on Saturday mornings at DC 37, the UFT Headquarters, the Brooklyn Public Library and NYU community rooms - wherever we were able to meet for free.
Gradually, more and more CCEC members joined and through an inclusive process a more formal organization was formed, including naming ourselves and adopting formal bylaws. As we became better organized, the ECC succeeded in establishing a formal meeting schedule with then Chancellor Fariña so that CCEC Presidents meet with the Chancellor and the cabinet members bimonthly to elevate issues that are important to parents. These meetings continued with each successive Chancellor after Chancellor Fariniña’s departure.
In addition to the meetings with the Chancellor, the ECC worked with the DOE to establish working groups where ECC members worked with DOE staff to develop recommendations and protocols on a variety of topics, from district planning to member reimbursement. Some of the accomplishments through these working groups include:
Holding the DOE accountable
While the ECC has collaborated with the DOE, it has also held the DOE accountable on a variety of issues, such as school segregation, communication and language access, persistent failure to serve students with disabilities and Multi-lingual Learners, and most recently school reopening during the pandemic. The ECC has released statements, passed resolutions, co-authored opinion pieces, held press events, participated in rallies and marches as a co-organizer and provided assistance and guidance to local Community Education Councils fighting harmful proposals. We have had a few successes in changing DOE policies, including how the DOE shares contact information of our families with charter schools. Families are now able to opt out of receiving recruitment flyers from charter schools. Another success is around the grading system during the pandemic. Through our partnership with other organizations, we were able to pressure the DOE to use a more humane grading system for elementary and middle grade students.
Broader advocacy at the State level
The ECC has worked through the Legislative and Charter Schools Committees to advance some changes at the state level. Through the Legislative Committee, the ECC has passed resolutions on Mayoral control demanding amendments to create more checks and balances. The ECC has hosted legislative briefings, met with legislators from both houses both in NYC and in Albany, communicated frequently with key legislators, and provided detailed proposals for amendments. Over the years, the following changes were made to the State education law as a result of our advocacy:
The Education Council Consortium (ECC) is a grassroots group of parents, advocates and community members working toward realizing the vision of a New York City public school system that is equitable, inclusive, antiracist and free of all forms of oppression and that provides an appropriate and humane education for all students in New York City.
The origin of the ECC
The first iteration of an organization composed of CCECs was under Chancellor Joel Klein, who convened CCEC Presidents for monthly Monday evening meetings shortly after the 2003 enactment of Mayoral control which created CCECs. Poor attendance and lack of commitment by the then Chancellor led to cessation of meetings.
Another iteration was ANYCEC: Association of NYC Education Councils, also short-lived but referred to by then Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer, in his report of 2006 Parents Dismissed. At that time many of the complaints we hear now were already emerging, including, but not limited to: lack of engagement of parent leaders in decision making; lack of training opportunities; lack of authority of the CCECs; low voter turnout.
Then in 2011 many CCEC members across the City came together during botched CCEC elections in which DOE decided to delay the voting after complaints of a poorly managed elections process. The listserve to connect CCEC members was created shortly after the 2011 elections debacle and has been used to communicate and share information since then. Several members attempted to come together in 2011 and into 2012. However, there were rampant charter school co-location and school phase out proposals that kept the CCECs busy advocating in their own districts.
In the summer of 2013, before the mayoral election, there remained a loose group of CCEC members from across the city, with no name and no bylaws. Ellen McHugh of the CCSE and Rachel Paster of District 30 CEC saw the new mayoral administration as an opportunity to come together and organized a meeting on October 13, 2013. They invited every CCEC and to their surprise, many showed up from across the city.
There was a lively discussion about creating an organization of CCECs, with many skeptical about the viability of such an organization in a city with so many flaws in the public education system. Many felt that the DOE would claim that the PEP and CPAC are adequate vehicles for community engagement. After intense discussion there was consensus to contact the new Mayor once the election was held. A small committee was formed to begin that effort.
After the mayoral election in 2013, the nascent organization, still unnamed, sent a letter to then Mayor-elect de Blasio outlining collective issues and seeking a response to the demands, which included that the chancellor that he would appoint must be an educator. The Mayor appointed Carmen Fariña, a former teacher, principal and district superintendent as chancellor.
Collaboration with the DOE
As a result of the advocacy, the Chancellor resumed meetings with CCEC Presidents and appointed CCEC members to various Mayoral Working Groups to develop recommendations (e.g., the School Space Working Group, chaired by Richard Buery, Deputy Mayor and the Blue Book Working Group, co-chaired by Lorraine Grillo, then President of the School Construction Authority and Shino Tanikawa, then CECD2 President). While the Mayor was implementing some welcome changes, the members of the CCECs continued to meet to ensure CCECs members were engaged in decision making processes. Members met in the evenings or on Saturday mornings at DC 37, the UFT Headquarters, the Brooklyn Public Library and NYU community rooms - wherever we were able to meet for free.
Gradually, more and more CCEC members joined and through an inclusive process a more formal organization was formed, including naming ourselves and adopting formal bylaws. As we became better organized, the ECC succeeded in establishing a formal meeting schedule with then Chancellor Fariña so that CCEC Presidents meet with the Chancellor and the cabinet members bimonthly to elevate issues that are important to parents. These meetings continued with each successive Chancellor after Chancellor Fariniña’s departure.
In addition to the meetings with the Chancellor, the ECC worked with the DOE to establish working groups where ECC members worked with DOE staff to develop recommendations and protocols on a variety of topics, from district planning to member reimbursement. Some of the accomplishments through these working groups include:
- The District Planning Working Group established the current process, which ensures that CCEC members are involved in the district-level planning process from the very early stages.
- The Superintendent Evaluation Working Group created a new evaluation form that is more aligned with how CECs work with superintendents and recommendations on how evaluation be conducted.
- The Finance Working Group:
- increased the CCEC budget from $20,000 to $25,000 per year (there had never been an increase in the CCEC budget since CCECs were first established in 2004);
- made it possible for CCEC members to receive reimbursement for cell phone and internet connection charges during the pandemic;
- created a mechanism to use unspent CCEC budget to purchase books and supplies for students in temporary housing.
- The Parent Empowerment Working Group:
- ensured that most professional development sessions have parent leaders as co-presenters with DOE so that on-the-ground knowledge is shared;
- created a calendar of professional development sessions with topics and sequences that meet the needs of CCEC members.
Holding the DOE accountable
While the ECC has collaborated with the DOE, it has also held the DOE accountable on a variety of issues, such as school segregation, communication and language access, persistent failure to serve students with disabilities and Multi-lingual Learners, and most recently school reopening during the pandemic. The ECC has released statements, passed resolutions, co-authored opinion pieces, held press events, participated in rallies and marches as a co-organizer and provided assistance and guidance to local Community Education Councils fighting harmful proposals. We have had a few successes in changing DOE policies, including how the DOE shares contact information of our families with charter schools. Families are now able to opt out of receiving recruitment flyers from charter schools. Another success is around the grading system during the pandemic. Through our partnership with other organizations, we were able to pressure the DOE to use a more humane grading system for elementary and middle grade students.
Broader advocacy at the State level
The ECC has worked through the Legislative and Charter Schools Committees to advance some changes at the state level. Through the Legislative Committee, the ECC has passed resolutions on Mayoral control demanding amendments to create more checks and balances. The ECC has hosted legislative briefings, met with legislators from both houses both in NYC and in Albany, communicated frequently with key legislators, and provided detailed proposals for amendments. Over the years, the following changes were made to the State education law as a result of our advocacy:
- Members on the Citywide Council on High Schools are able to serve out their term even if their children graduate from high school in mid-term;
- Eligibility for English Language Learner representatives on CECs and for members of the Citywide Council for English Language Learners has been extended to those whose children currently receive ELL services or have received such services in preceding two years;
- All parents of public school students are eligible to vote in the CCEC elections;
- Community Education Council presidents elect one member to the PEP;
- Both Public Advocate appointees and Borough Presidents appointees have no term limits.