ECC
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History of ECC

Dear Partners in Public Education,
 
There are important policy debates happening in New York City as the public school system adapts to pandemic-induced remote learning.  In some of these debates, our organization has been referenced as a stakeholder.  We thought it would be helpful for those involved in the debates to know who we are, how we came about, and what we have accomplished.  
 
So let's start at the beginning, shall we?
 
Who we are
The Education Council Consortium (ECC) is a collective of unpaid parents and community members who currently serve or have once served on Citywide and Community Education Councils(CCECs). We have members from all 36 Councils and represent public school students, including children who are receiving special education services and those who are English Language Learners. The families we represent come from all walks of life; they—and we—are diverse in ability, age, nationality, race, religion, and socioeconomic status.
 
The origin of the ECC
The Education Council Consortium was formed in late 2013 to more effectively advocate for the role of parent leaders in school governance, and to tackle the common systemic issues that affected every council. It provided support to new parent leaders in ways that NYC DOE’s Division of Family And Community Engagement (FACE) could not. 

The founding members of the ECC met in fall of 2013 to draft a letter to Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio with issues that were critical to parents at that time. The letter was sent that December, which culminated in then-Chancellor Carmen Fariña to reinstitute the practice of meeting with Presidents of Community and Citywide Education Councils (CCEC) on a regular basis (a practice that was abandoned under former Chancellor Joel Klein). It was from those regular monthly meetings that CCEC members decided to work collectively on common issues that most CCECs faced at the district level. 

We believed that, by unifying our efforts, we could have a stronger impact on larger systemic issues that affected most students across the city. We realized that new CCEC members lacked the knowledge and understanding of how school governance, New York State education laws, and local regulations affected our districts. By forming the ECC, seasoned returning CCEC members could also support and help newly elected and appointed members become familiar with the process and governance, so that we could be most effective citywide. In essence, we recognized and took advantage of an opportunity to organize ourselves and advocate as a unified body at these meetings. 

As a result of that advocacy, members of various CCECs were invited to serve on citywide task forces convened by Chancellor Fariña to develop proposals to improve the DOE (e.g., the School Space Working Group, chaired by then Deputy Mayor Richard Buery; Blue Book Working Group, co-chaired by Lorraine Grillo, SCA President). In partnership with organizations like UFT, CSA, DC37, Brooklyn Public Library, and NYU’s community rooms initiative, ECC members continued to meet and discuss our collective concerns. 

Gradually, a more formal organization was formed, with formal bylaws and a name: Education Council Consortium.  Chancellor Fariña also agreed to meet with CCEC members on a regular basis, and a process was established to ensure effective meetings. It was important that meetings not be limited to council presidents but be open to all ECC members.  Chancellor Fariña convened meetings to establish relationships and to share her vision and initiatives, which culminated in the establishment of ECC working groups where ECC members were invited to work with DOE staff to develop policy recommendations.  Three working groups were initially set up in 2016: Parent Leadership, District Planning, and Equity & Diversity. 

In addition to the working groups, issues were addressed as they came up through committees (internal to ECC without DOE).  The sunset of the state law that gave the Mayor control of NYC public schools and the concerns about raising the cap and lack of accountability of charter schools led to the formation of the Legislative Committee and the Charter Schools Committee.  Other committees include Capacity Building and Bylaws.  An ongoing issue is the need for training of new members, many of whom expressed desire for better understanding of what their roles and responsibilities are.  The ECC is a resource for new members to get information about the inner workings of the DOE from fellow parent leaders.

As strange as it seems, the ECC was first recognized politically by the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) when the ECC Legislative Committee began outreach on the Mayoral control law in 2015. Since that time, several resolutions on mayoral control have been passed and submitted to the NY State Legislature.  All resolutions passed by the ECC, including those on charters, mayoral control, reimbursements, etc. are carefully put together with research, meaningfully discussed and reviewed, and presented to the membership before they are approved by formal votes of the members.    

When the NYS Senate held a hearing on mayoral control in NYC in 2016, two ECC members were invited to testify.  In subsequent years when mayoral control was again set to sunset, the ECC was invited to testify at hearings by NYS Legislature.  In 2019, working with the DOE, and NYS legislators from NYC, and with the cooperation of the Mayor, many of the recommended amendments were passed.  This was the first time that a cooperative effort between all these entities occurred. 

Through the formation of the ECC Charter Schools Committee, a resolution was passed that included recommendations that the NYS charter cap not be lifted, and that existing charters be subject to full accountability.  Before approval, the resolution was presented and discussed, and there was consensus regarding the concerns of the proliferation of charters. Meetings were held with NY state legislators locally and in Albany, to make them aware that NYC parents were concerned about the proliferation of charters.   While no action was taken regarding the charter recommendations, the charter cap was not lifted.  As a result of collective work of various CCECs, the ECC has been able to address and work with elected officials, DOE, and NYS Education Department on tackling those systemic issues that affect the children in NYC. 

What has the ECC accomplished?
​
  • ​Established regular meetings with the Chancellor that have expanded to include both the CCEC presidents and members; and collaborates with the DOE to develop meeting agendas (ongoing)
  • Participated on various task forces (Jan. 2019 and ongoing; School Siting and Planning, Fair Student Funding and CCEC Elections)
  • Negotiated with the DOE a process for CCEC budget modifications that allow CCECs to earmark funding for students in temporary housing as a COVID-19 emergency measure  - May 2020
  • Worked with the Council of School Supervisors & Administrator (CSA) to invite parent leaders to the annual principals conference - Nov 2019
  • Began implementing the new district planning process developed by the District Planning Working Group - Sep 2019
  • Advocated for stronger parent involvement in the Principal and Superintendent selection processes (C-30 and C-37 amendments) - Aug 2019
  • Secured parents’ right to opt-out of contact information sharing with charter schools -  Aug 2019
  • Secured a commitment from the Chancellor to increase the CCEC budget by $5,000 - Jul 2019
  • Clarified and streamlined translation & interpretation services for CCEC - Jun 2019
  • Collaborated with DOE on the CCEC orientation (June 2017 & June 2019)
  • Developed  the new Superintendent evaluation  - May 2019
  • Organized a Meet & Greet for ECC members with the CSA - Mar 2019
  • Organized a meeting with the Mayor and the Chancellor for ECC members - Jan 2019
  • Ideated and worked with Deputy Chancellor to hold Five borough town hall meetings for parent leaders with the Mayor and the Chancellor (Dec. 2018 - Jan. 2019)
  • Organized Legislative Breakfast with elected officials - Dec 2018
  • Held the DOE’s District Charter Partnership division accountable by ensuring charters schools share best practices after meeting with charter authorizers on many charter schools’ lack of accountability and transparency - Nov 2017
  • Formed working groups with central DOE staff to develop policies on district planning, parent empowerment, CCEC Finance (June 2015 and ongoing)

Resolutions ECC has passed
  • Resolution Calling Upon the New York State Senate to Reconvene Without Delay to Pass Legislation to Renew and Expand New York City’s Speed Safety Camera Program
  • Resolution Supporting NYSER (New Yorkers for Students’ Educational Rights)Litigation against New York State for a Sound Education Mandated by Law for All New York Students
  • Resolution Calling for a Streamlined Process for Member Reimbursement
  • Resolution to Oppose an Increase in the State Charter School Cap and City Charter School Subcap
  • Resolution on school overcrowding and the new five-year capital plan
  • Resolution on Funding for non-ELL Students in Dual Language Programs
  • Resolution on Mandatory CEC Zoning Approval Prior to All Proposed DOE Closings Of Sole Zoned Schools
  • Resolution on School Governance and Mayoral Control
  • Resolution on Governance of NY City Public Schools
  • Resolution on Establishing a Commission to Study NYC School Governance
  • Resolution calling on Governor Cuomo and New York State Legislatorsto fully fund the Campaign for Fiscal Equity in New York City
  • Resolution to Support Legislation onCharter Accountability and TransparencyS.5950, S.5978, S.6043, S.4926, S.4933, S.5734, S. 2168 AND S.4237
  • Resolution urging City Council to fund class size reduction now

As you can see, we fight everyday for the children of this city - the students receiving special education services, the multi-language learners, and the historically marginalized. We fight to empower parents, for their voices to be heard and be at the table, and for the system to be transparent to all. 

This is who we are, what we have done, and what we will continue to do, and we hope to continue to do it in partnership with you.

In partnership,

ECC Steering Committee

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  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • Who We Are
    • History of ECC
  • Our Work
  • Committees
  • Member Resources
  • Contact
  • Events