Recently, the New York City Comptroller posted a “complaint” and “investigation” on their website, claiming that there were doubts about the 2023 New York City Community Education Council (CCEC) elections, alleging a lack of “honesty, integrity, transparency, and fairness.” The issue involved the unequal treatment of two education organizations, the “NYC Kids PAC” and the “Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education NYC” (PLACE NYC), led by Chinese-American parents.
In an open letter, City Comptroller Brad Lander stated that according to feedback from two organizations – the Education Council Consortium (ECC) and the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council (CPAC) – the Office of Family and Community Empowerment (FACE), which oversees the CCEC elections, did not treat NYC Kids and PLACE NYC equally. FACE viewed the former as a “political organization” and disqualified a candidate supported by that organization, but did not reject candidates from PLACE NYC. Therefore, it was concluded that FACE was driven by “bias and racism.”
According to the definition of the Federal Election Commission, Political Action Committees (PACs) are organizations in the United States used to pool campaign donations from members to support candidates or legislation.
NYC Kids PAC describes itself on its website as a “political action committee composed of parents aiming to support candidates who advocate for the public education system.” Hence, it indeed meets the criteria of how “political” organizations are handled by the Education Department.
The complaint stated that PLACE NYC also meets the definition of a “political organization”, yet FACE did not prevent its members from running for the community education council.
In response to this, Zhu Yating, the founder of PLACE NYC and a Chinese education advocate, refuted the allegations. She told the press that their members are all volunteers representing various political leanings, not a political organization of a specific party.
“Since 2018 when the proposal to end the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) was put forward by Bill de Blasio, Chinese parents have become very active in official parent committees. Therefore, PLACE NYC participating in community education council elections is natural to ensure parents concerned with academics, gifted programs, and specialized high schools have a voice on the school board,” she said.
The organization’s website states that PLACE advocates for academic rigor and believes all students deserve quality education. Specifically, the organization insists on (1) preserving the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test; (2) preserving and expanding gifted programs; (3) preserving and expanding accelerated curriculum options, among others.
“Our members work tirelessly every day in their respective schools, districts, and educational bureaus, advocating for excellent public schools and more acceleration education programs,” Zhu Yating said. “Opposition to PLACE NYC is a tiny minority, but they have garnered support from extreme left-wing politicians like Lander, who is eager to become the mayor of New York City. We cannot let this happen.”
Zhu Yating emphasized that they are just an independent parent organization, not controlled by the Education Bureau, and they can support whoever they want or endorse whoever they want.
“Lander’s letter is just a suggestion, it has nothing to do with PLACE NYC, and we can do whatever we want,” she said.
New York City has 32 community education councils, each with 12 members; responsibilities include approving new district delineations, organizing district town hall meetings, and providing education resources for families. The community education council elections are held every two years, with the next round slated for 2025, and applications set to open in January next year.