Talk Out of School

Interview With CSA President Mark Cannizzaro

Episode Summary

Leonie interviewed Mark Cannizzaro, President of the Council of School Supervisors & Administrators (CSA), the NYC principal and administrator’s union, about the Mayor de Blasio’s school reopening plan, whether most students opting into in-person learning will be able to receive it five-days a week as claimed, what led the CSA to issue an unprecedented no-confidence vote in the Mayor and a request for the State Education Department to take over the management of NYC schools this fall, and whether DOE has provided enough support to teachers and principals to improve remote learning that the vast majority of students – about 800,000 – will continue to rely upon. They also discussed whether Mayoral control should be reformed, whether the state tests should be cancelled this spring, and what schools will need next year in terms of additional resources and programs to address the huge academic and social losses that so many kids have suffered during the pandemic. In the course of their discussions, President Cannizzaro revealed two disturbing facts: first, though the Mayor and the Chancellor say they are currently working on a remediation plan for next year to be released soon, neither he nor his members have been consulted or asked for input on this plan; and secondly, 60% of NYC schools are facing the prospect of huge budget cuts next year as a result of significant losses of enrollment. So far, the DOE has not given the CSA any assurance that these budget cuts will not occur.

Episode Notes

Council of School Supervisors and Administrators website