Notice of hearing Wed., Sept. 23rd

Here's the announcement of tomorrow's governance hearing, which of course teachers can't attend, at least for the first few hours of the meeting.

I am curious about the amendments passed by the Senate (underlined sentences below), because they do not become law until both houses pass them and I haven't heard whether the Assembly did that when they went back into session. If anyone has clarification on that point, please send in a comment.

---

Hearing on DOE’s Implementation of the New School Governance Law
& Int. No. 951

The City Council’s Education Committee, chaired by Council Member Robert Jackson, will hold an oversight hearing on DOE’s Implementation of the New School Governance Law. The Committee will also be holding a hearing on Int. No. 951. Below is information regarding the upcoming hearing:

Hearing title: Oversight: DOE’s Implementation of the New School Governance law

Date: Wednesday, September 23rd

Time: 1:00 pm (public testimony will begin sometime after 3:00pm)

Place: City Hall, Committee Room

In August 2009, the State passed a new school governance law that effectively renewed mayoral control of the City’s schools, but made a number of changes aimed at improving transparency and accountability as well as increasing parental involvement. In addition, the State Senate adopted 4 amendments that would, grant more power to district superintendents, require schools to have an annual meeting with parents to discuss school safety and policing, establish a parent training center and an arts council. The Education Committee will hear from the DOE its plans on implementing these changes. The Committee would like to hear from stakeholders and the general public their suggestions and concerns regarding DOE’s implementation of the new governance law.

The Committee will also be holding a hearing on Int. No. 951, a Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to requiring the New York city department of education to provide the metropolitan transportation authority with certain student enrollment information.

We invite members of Community Education Councils, parents, students, educators, advocates, and all other stakeholders and interested members of the public to testify at this hearing. Testimony will be limited to 2-3 minutes per person to allow as many as possible to testify. Although the hearing starts at 1:00 pm, the Administration (Department of Education), as well as other witnesses (such as elected officials) have been invited to testify and answ er questions from Council Members at the outset, so we do not expect to hear from others until sometime after 3:00 pm. Please make sure you fill out a witness slip on the desk of the Sergeant-at-arms if you wish to testify. If you plan to bring written testimony, please bring at least 20 copies.

Please note - hearing dates and times are subject to change.
For information about hearings and other events, check the Council's website at http://council.nyc.gov/html/home/home.shtml or, if you'd like to receive email notices of upcoming hearings, you can sign up at the following link http://council.nyc.gov/html/action_center/signup.shtml. All hearings are open to members of the public.