DOE walks back superintendent snub
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The Department of Education has adjusted the process to select superintendents after parent outrage, culminating in a rally in Astoria that featured a number of elected officials. Eagle file photo by Jacob Kaye
By Rachel Vick
Days after Queens parents, teachers and elected officials rallied in outrage at the removal of sitting District 30 Superintendent Dr. Philip Composto, the Department of Education said they’d reconsider.
The agency is revising its hiring process to enable community participation at earlier stages in the process, according to a statement obtained by Jillian Jorgensen.
“Superintendents will lead our schools this fall with significantly expanded responsibilities and are tasked with making our vision for schools a reality. At the end of the day, it is the Mayor and I who will be held accountable for their impact on student achievement,” Chancellor David Banks said in the statement to NY1. “When I make the final determination of who will best serve all students in each district, that decision will combine the passionate feedback of parents and community members and each candidate’s ability to articulate a comprehensive vision for the future.”
After pushing back against the announcement that Composto was not selected to move on to the second round of the selection process, stakeholders rallied in support of the respected school leader.
Though the news is welcomed by leaders, some parents are still wary of the integrity of the process moving forward.
D30 Community Education Councilmember and PTA President of PS/IS 78 Kelly Craig told the Eagle she was left “with lots of lingering questions that no one will give [her] clarity on.”
“While I appreciate the fact that the Chancellor and Deputy Chancellor Blackburn have reconsidered his unilateral decision to dismiss certain sitting Superintendents with zero public engagement — it’s truly admirable to reconsider it — I unfortunately am left unhopeful of this being a transparent and inclusive of family district input engagement process,” said Craig, whose child is in third grade.
When she inquired about the full list of candidates, including those outside her district, Craig was told by the Division of School Leadership that they were “unable to share” the information.
“Parents and schools deserve the right to be heard,” she added, explaining that she’s compiling a list manually while a FOIL request moves through the system.
Town Halls will take place for Queens’ seven school districts starting May 24. Registration is available online at learndoe.org/supt2022.
The DOE has not responded to any of the Eagle’s requests for comments on the subject.
The decision to layoff a number of sitting superintendents without parent input comes as Mayor Eric Adams lobbies lawmakers to give him several years of mayoral control of the city’s schools. Lawmakers said Friday that they’d vote against mayoral control based on the firings.
State Senator John Liu, who was not in attendance Friday, met with Adams on Tuesday about the issue.
In a statement, Liu said that he’d consider voting for mayoral control, albeit with some changes.
“I expect a resolution on the issue of mayoral control soon,” Liu said. “We won’t see a return to the local school board system of 20 years ago, nor will we see a 4-year extension of mayoral control without any changes.”
“I expect that he will retain control so the public, including parents, educators, activists, and legislators can hold him accountable, but there will also be changes so that parents will have more meaningful input into how our schools are run,” he added.
