Parent leaders demand overhaul amid dysfunctional school council elections

Parent leaders across the city are raising alarms about New York City’s local school council elections, citing “gross mismanagement” of the process by the Education Department.

At issue are Community Education Council races, which are held every two years to elect parent leaders in each of the city’s 32 local districts and four citywide councils representing English learners, students with disabilities, and high school families. Families vote online through their New York City Schools accounts, or NYCSA, through May 13.

The Education Department’s office of Family and Community Engagement, known as FACE, runs the elections which saw just 2% of voter turnout during each of the past two cycles. This will be the third election in which all parents with public school children can vote; previously, PTA leaders selected candidates.

The problems in this election cycle range from inconsistently listing candidates on ballots, with some appearing with their last names first and others in the reverse order, to larger problems that have interrupted voting or erased some votes entirely.




https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025/05/13/nyc-community-education-council-election-dysfunction-education-department/