What do the Education Councils do?
Community Education Councils (CECs)
CECs are composed of volunteer parents and community leaders who are responsible under state law for supporting their local district schools with the goal of raising student achievement. This support takes many forms:
- Collaborating with the superintendent in assessing the impact of the district’s educational programs and student progress.
- Making recommendations for improvements to school buildings.
- Providing input in the hiring of superintendents and parent coordinators, and submitting a yearly evaluation of the superintendent.
- Approving zones for new schools and rezoning of existing schools when necessary.
- Organizing town halls with the chancellor and holding hearings on the budget and other matters where the DOE is required to collect public feedback.
- Providing input on DOE proposals for school closings and co-locations.
- Through their public meetings, serving as a forum for parents to learn about DOE policies and initiatives and to express their views and concerns.
- Supporting school communities by liaising with School Leadership Teams and helping connect parents with resources through presentations at their monthly meeting.
Citywide Education Councils
The four citywide councils represent the interests of:
- High school students (Citywide Council on High Schools [CCHS]);
- English Language Learners (Citywide Council on English Language Learners [CCELL]); and
- Students with disabilities (Citywide Council on Special Education [CCSE] and the Citywide Council for District 75 [CCD75]).
The citywide councils are responsible for advising and commenting on educational policies that involve the student communities they represent; issuing an annual report on the effectiveness of the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) in providing services to the represented student communities; and holding at least one public meeting per month during which the public may discuss issues facing high schools (CCHS), English Language Learners (CCELL), and students with disabilities (CCSE and CCD75).