Wobbly Parent Coordination
by
Ron Isaac

Gophers come in two kinds: prairie dogs and "parent coordinators." The first is a creation of nature. The second is an invention of Chancellor Klein. That is the breed we have to worry about.

Inventions arise from necessity. "Parent coordinators" were called into existence to address a purportedly perceived need to change the frigid culture of the school system by adopting the corporate-hallowed ploy of treating parents as valued customers.

According to the Department of Education, "For years we have viewed schools as walled fortresses keeping the community out and the children in. Parent Coordinators are the ones we are counting on to break open the walls of those fortresses." This is a high-profile piece in Klein's unabashed reorganization puzzle. Taxpayers ( who are they?) fritter $50 million a year for this boondoggle. That includes copious "professional development" hours that are universally known to be laughable. None of this monetary nutrition is worth the calorie of a dime.

Parent coordinators play in theory a vital role. No matter how snugly wrapped in righteous-sounding mission statements, empty theories deliver a wallop of false hope. These hopes are the lifeblood of the Klein regime. Every innovation is a Trojan Horse.

Troubleshooting parental complaints and proactively serving as an educational liaison to "the community" ( this word is politically-charged, unlike "neighborhood") are laudable duties. Hypothetically this is what parent coordinators do. Public school parents are typically unsupportive and often neglectful. Involving them, even if they have to be dragged kicking and screaming, in their child's destiny is a good thing. So is linking up to local organizations such as Advocates for Children ( a group infamous for fierce defense of the most destructive students, regardless of their sins), Children's Aid Society, ASPIRA, and Youth Development Institute.

According to Betsy Gotbaum, Public Advocate, more than 75% of parent coordinators couldn't be reached when they were supposedly on call after normal business hours. Two-thirds never returned phone messages. Gotbaum is urging Klein to meaningfully define, within thirty days, the role of parent coordinators, making them "more accessible to the public" and "ensure they actually fulfill their job responsibilities." Insists Margie Feinberg, a DOE mouthpiece, "The parent coordinators are doing an outstanding job." Professional educators overwhelmingly side with the Public Advocate.

How do the parent coordinators themselves feel? More than half of them are former DOE employees. They know that in keeping with the czarist tone of the Klein regime they are forbidden from cooperating with the media.

Principals are skittish because in this post-tenure era, their job security is forever on the line. They are judged by superintendents who snap to attention when parent coordinators call. Would a principal risk martyrdom by going toe to toe with a parent coordinator? Will parent coordinators buck a principal who totally controls their fate? Is it any wonder that merely one percent of rookie parent coordinators were cited for unsatisfactory job performance? This is a perfect set up tainted with mutual admiration. What is needed is natural independence , not artificial alliance.

The work of parent coordinators is so flexible that it cannot be tracked. One, from the Bronx, said she will teach an English as a Second Language class to immigrant adult relatives of students. Others are assigned secretarial chores. Some are sent to spy on teacher operations. After only one year, parent coordinators have become eclectic gal-Fridays.

Parent Coordinators are supposed to manage conflicts between parents and school officials ( a hornet's nest of variegated grievances) as well as seek new resources and relationships that can benefit their school. Long before the "parent coordinator" sinecure, parents were free to do this. In the words of a District 26 administrator, trembling in anonymity, "Parents always had access to the superintendent and the school board. It worked."

Parent coordinators are indeed the new "coalition of the willing." In actuality, their interest in "community outreach, leadership, problem-solving, child development, and family news" is more in the spirit of insurgency.

Many bitter disputes swirl around matters of professional autonomy and conscience. These include teaching strategy, class policy, grading, discipline, and an encyclopedia of other issues. Some are sensitive and personal. Should parent coordinators, with limited background checks, still be allowed to access confidential files?

Ensconced with DOE-donated cell phones in their own private office, parent coordinators dwell in each of the 1200 public schools. To have ascended to the job they need to have a high school diploma ( questionable foreign qualifications are no problem) with six years of "community experience." Exactly what is meant by "community experience"? The vagueness is deliberate, as it leaves ajar the door for patronage or, synonymously, "executive decisions."

Their entry-level pay of $39,000 is double that of paraprofessionals who are demonstrably better-educated and provide essential instructional support in the classroom.

Parent coordinators were foisted on all schools without exception, whether or not they were wanted or needed. In theory, they work thirty-five hours a week. Their true productivity cannot be verified because to a large extent they set their own schedule, which they may claim includes evenings and weekends.

Exploiting parents by gifting them the ruse of "empowerment" will not redeem the school system. Doing what is imperative would create a public relations undertow that would be quickly fatal to any chancellor. We need not worry about Klein making the supreme sacrifice.