Press Statement from the Community Education Task Force, 2/9/12
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Community Education Task Force
PO. Box 15604, Rochester, NY 14615
PRESS STATEMENT
February 9, 2012
Based on a series of events, which have occurred over the past 10 months, and reliable information gathered from several different, credible sources, we have come to the firm conclusion that the Rochester City School District's Superintendent Search and Selection Process lacks integrity, and is biased in favor of Bolgen Vargas. Therefore, we call on Search Committee members to speak out about the serious fundamental flaws in the process, and commit to development of a plan that will restore fairness and integrity. The following represents a partial chronology of important, relevant events that have transpired over the past 10 months:
On April 20, 2011 Jean Claude Brizard held a press conference to announce that he had accepted a position as superintendent of the Chicago Public School system. On the same date, in conjunction with the Coalition for Justice in Education (CJE) and representatives of numerous other local, grassroots community organizations and individuals, the Community Education Task Force (CETF) also held a press conference.
During our April 20th press conference, we issued a public statement calling on Malik Evans and the Rochester Board of Education to work with parents, educators, and other interested community members to design a collaborative process and criteria for choosing the next permanent superintendent of the Rochester City School District. In addition, we sent emails to all Board members requesting to meet with them for the purpose of discussing ways in which we could work together to design a collaborative process. We felt that this was especially important following the chaos and tumultuousness, which had occurred under the Brizard Administration --- much of which resulted from his clear disregard and lack of respect for parents and educators. We also expressed our objection to the idea of spending large sums of money, especially considering tight budgetary constraints, to hire a superintendent search firm.
After being totally ignored by Board members regarding our requests to meet with them for purposes of collaborating relative to the superintendent search process --- at least 50 parents, educators, and other community members led by CETF and CJE held a press conference and rally near Malik Evans home on May 4, 2011. Also on May 4th, we attempted to deliver a letter to Malik Evans at his home, which was left in his doorway --- since no one answered the door. In the letter, again we expressed our desire and willingness to collaborate with Board members regarding a superintendent search process, and we requested a timely response.
Between May 4, 2011 and October 6, 20011, we continued to send Board members emails and spoke out at School Board meetings regarding our desire and willingness to collaborate with them to design a process and criteria for choosing the Rochester City School District's next permanent superintendent. Board members continued to ignore our requests. During this time period, there was no communication from the Board with us or the general public regarding this critically important issue. Then, suddenly on October 6, 2011, we discovered that Board members had illegally scheduled an unadvertised meeting to vote on hiring a superintendent search firm (Ray and Associates). CETF and supporters, particularly Occupy Rochester activists responded upon short notice, and prevented the vote from going forward by shutting the meeting down.
On October 18, 2011, the Community Education Task Force Slate for Rochester Board of Education; Community Education Task Force; United Parent/Community Organization; Parent and Community Coalition for Educational Change; Rochester Parents Union; Green Party of Monroe County; Rochester Adequate Funding Parents Facebook Group; Take Back The Land; Social Welfare Action Alliance; Coalition for Justice In Education; Metro Justice, supporters and allies held a press conference to again call for a collaborative process regarding selection of the RCSD's next permanent superintendent.
On Oct. 25, 2011, president of the Rochester Board of Education -- Malik Evans -- held a press conference where he announced the creation of a Superintendent Search Committee composed of parent "representatives" from other Board committees, political, and business partners.
On October 27, 2011, the Community Education Task Force Slate for Rochester Board of Education; Community Education Task Force; United Parent/Community Organization; Parent and Community Coalition for Educational Change; Rochester Parents Union; Green Party of Monroe County; Rochester Adequate Funding Parents Facebook Group; Take Back The Land; Social Welfare Action Alliance; Coalition for Justice In Education; Metro Justice, Rochester Indymedia, supporters and allies held a picket & speak out at the Board of Education's monthly Business meeting --- against the idea of hiring a superintendent search firm. At the same meeting, the Board voted to approve a $40,000 contract with superintendent search firm Ray and Associates.
Prior to, and especially between October 27, 2011 and November 8, 2011, Malik Evans spoke frequently about the Board's intentions to develop a "robust" parent and community engagement process relative to input into the superintendent search and selection process. However, by the time Commissioner Mary Adams was added to the Superintendent Search Committee on November 9, 2011, there were no existing, concrete plans by which so-called "robust" engagement was supposed to happen. In fact, Commissioner Adams volunteered to design a process, which resulted in three community forums (December 3rd, 5th, & 6th); and 9 Focus Group meetings (Bilingual/Latino, Clergy, District Labor, Community Education Advocates, Higher Education, Labor, Parent, Student, Business). In accordance with the process that Commissioner Adams designed --- following the community forums and focus group meetings, all information was supposed to be brought back to the full Search Committee for analysis, and their analysis was supposed to inform the next steps in the process, including development of a job description. This never happened. Instead, the information was turned over to Ray and Associates, which resulted in development and advertisement of a job description, which is not reflective of parent and community engagement and input. This has caused many parents and community members to feel like we were used to create a subterfuge regarding so-called "robust" engagement --- while according to what we consider as reliable information --- at least 4 Board members have already made up their minds to support and vote for Bolgen Vargas as the next permanent superintendent of the Rochester City School District.
Thus, once again, we call on Search Committee members to speak out about the serious fundamental flaws in the process, and commit to development of a plan that will restore fairness and integrity.
