Mayor de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña claimed victory Tuesday in the city’s local school board elections — as voter turnout and the number of parents participating shot way up.
De Blasio said turnout increased by more than half, and hundreds more parents ran for office than in 2013, when the school board elections were last held.
“We made clear at the outset that our administration would elevate and empower public school parents as never before, and that’s precisely what we’re seeing,” said de Blasio. “That’s a testament not only to our increased outreach to parents, but to the increased value we have put on parent voices in making school decisions.”
According to the city Education Department, a whopping 1,290 parents applied to run for Citywide and Community Education Councils between Feb. 11 and March 11, up from 729 in 2013.
Education Department officials said that 60% more parent leaders voted for their preferred candidates in 2015, with 2,297 voters casting ballots compared with 1,433 in 2013.
The Citywide and Community Education Councils are advisory boards comprised of parents and advocates that issue recommendations on school policy and drawing school zones.
De Blasio campaigned on a vow to harness the power of parent involvement and fix the city’s schools in 2013, but has been often criticized for failing to keep his promises.
Many parent leaders have complained de Blasio hasn’t made significant changes to the Education Department’s Division of Family and Community Engagement created under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
But Fariña crowed about the elections, saying the high turnout shows the city is making progress in boosting parent involvement in the public schools.
“Congratulations to the hundreds of parents selected to serve on Education Councils — a major step in becoming transformative leaders in their communities,” Fariña said in a prepared statement.
City Education Department officials launched a multilingual ad campaign in subways and community publications in 2015 to increase parent and community engagement in the elections.
Education officials also held more than 55 information sessions to teach the public about the elections.
