Res 0445-2022

Whereas, The purpose of school-based planning and shared decision-making is to improve the educational performance of all students, regardless of such factors as socioeconomic status, race, sex, language background, or disability; and Whereas, School-based planning and shared decision-making is based on the premise that better decisions are made when people functioning closest to implementation participate in making the decision; and Whereas, Section 100.11 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education (section 100.11) directs each community school district to develop a plan for the participation of parents, teachers, and administrators in school-based planning and shared decision-making; and Whereas, In the City of New York, District Leadership Teams (DLTs) consisting of parent, teacher, and administrator representatives from elementary, middle, and high schools geographically located within each community school district fulfill the section 100.11 requirements regarding the district-level plan for the participation of parents and staff in school-based planning and shared decision-making; and Whereas, section 2590-h of the New York Education Law requires every public school in the City of New York to have a School Leadership Team (SLT) comprised of the principal, parent association president, teachers union representatives, and an equal number of elected parents and staff members; and Whereas, Chancellor's Regulation A-655 (CR A-655) establishes guidelines regarding the formation and operations of SLTs in every New York City public school and DLTs in every community school district; and Whereas, SLTs and DLTs are an important part of the governing structure of the New York City public school system; and Whereas, As the population most impacted by the decisions made by DLTs and SLTs, students should have a voice in those bodies' decision-making processes; and Whereas, An analysis published in Educational Research Review by Peter Nowak and Ursula Mager found that student participation in school decision-making has positive effects on students' life skills and self-esteem, student-adult relationships, and school ethos; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to introduce and pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation requiring District Leadership Teams and School Leadership Teams to include student representatives. CGR Res. 445 06/20/2023 NM LS # 11654 12/14/2022 1 2