Craig Slutzkin for CEC 2

05/24/2021

As coronavirus rates decline and vaccination rates rise, the city maintains that returning to buildings is not only safe but the most sound educational experience.

05/11/2021

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the big day - the last day to vote in the CEC elections. Turnout is still low – every vote matters.

I absolutely need your help. Please get your kids’ friends to vote. I very much could use your support. We have built up good momentum across many schools, and I hope to get to the finish line. And tomorrow is the final day to vote.

Folks can vote at www.mystudent.nyc. You can vote for up to three candidates. If anyone you know is still wavering, I will be happy to chat with them tomorrow. Just let me know.

Together, we really can make a difference for our children.

05/05/2021

This is beyond comprehension and we must fight to ensure this doesn't come anywhere near our schools. Our children's special talents should be nurtured, not held back because one group wants to push a certain ideology on everyone.

Remember, elections count. The CEC election is still open and I am asking for your support. Let's focus on reopening schools, preserving academic rigor and ensuring all of our students can read proficiently and understand mathematics.

And remember, choose your candidates wisely in the citywide elections next month.

The new framework aims to keep everyone learning at the same level for as long as possible.

05/04/2021

I can't believe this would ever be the case. Shameful.

Anti-Asian violence in New York right now is more than random street-corner sucker punches and terrifying subway shoves. It’s also the deliberate disassembly of meritocratic public education under …

05/02/2021

Just why? Who is advocating for students? We need to get schools reopened for those who want full time, in person REAL learning. End of story.

The American Federation of Teachers lobbied the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on, and even suggested language for, the federal agency’s school-reopening guidance released in Febr…

05/02/2021

We need our schools fully open for any student that wants it. “Fully open” means five days a week, full schedule, teacher in the classroom. At this is for every grade, from pre-K through 12th grade. Teachers can get vaccinated, so they should be back in the classroom. Our children have suffered for over a year. The social and emotional impact has taken too large a toll.

I get that this doesn’t work for all families. Parents have every right to fear sending their children back, and we must respect that. The DOE should set up remote learning centrally – with no financial penalty to the underlying individual schools – for these students. The financial penalty is a big part of what is holding back fully open schools. The DOE is getting a windfall in federal money to address pandemic issues – this is priority number 1 for this funding.

We also must recognize other barriers – there are many children who fear returning to school not due to the pandemic, but due to fear of bullying (sadly on the rise, likely the result of many polarizing factors) or fear of commuting with the scourge of crime. We must respect this also and address this. We must use the federal money to increase social workers, guidance counselors and school nurses to deal with these issues (priority number 2 for the federal money) so our students feel that their school is a safe space. But this should NOT preclude fully open schools. We shouldn’t be penalizing children who want to be in the school building.

Instead of worrying about the SHSHAT or arguing about eliminating G&T (a horrible proposal), we MUST focus on the most pressing issues – getting our kids back in the classroom safely. Education will improve. Emotional well-being will improve. This will be my top priority if you honor me with your support for CEC 2. For more information, please visit me at www.CraigCEC2.com or join my Facebook group “Craig Slutzkin for CEC 2”.

04/29/2021

PLACE NYC issued the following press statement on this year's SHSAT results.

04/28/2021

For parents who may not be familiar with CEC's, PLACE NYC will be hosting a Zoom webinar on what the CEC does and how elections work.

https://placenyc.org/2021/04/28/voting-in-the-cec-election-what-why-and-how/

RSVP: RSVP to get the Zoom link for the event: https://forms.gle/G5DaGJKGD3ybfWvv8

04/26/2021

Was the state that scared of understanding (and revealing) how much learning loss there was because of DOE's terrible mishandling of the schools this year?

Many of the questions on the recent New York state English exam for grades 3-8 duplicated ones from old tests on a practice website, rendering the exams worthless.

04/26/2021

With everything going on, it's really a shame that these educators are focusing on a program that most parents I speak with want expanded, not eliminated.

Perhaps the focus of these educators should be how we get our schools open and address the learning loss from the past 12 months, as well as the social/emotional issues that have risen due to remote and blended "sometimes you're here, sometimes you're not" learning.

Perhaps the focus of these educators should why levels of students reading at their grade level is so low, and how we can all seek to improve that.

Perhaps the focus of these educators should be to address the rising violence against specific ethnic groups and how we can combat that violence so our children can feel safe and secure in their school buildings.

But no... their focus is this program which seeks to elevate accelerated learners. Parents want expansion of G&T programs. Accelerated learners should be nurtured, not tossed aside. Eliminating them will only add to the flight to the suburbs or the southern states. We should be expanding them not only across District 2 but in underserved communities in the outer boroughs as well. This will create such a pipeline for our specialized schools.

I'm running for the CEC because I think it's time we focus on what's important - getting our children on the right track and challenging them academically. I'm running for the CEC because I want parents to be heard, not ignored.

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-gifted-and-talented-protest-letter-20210415-mytj7ggacvembhityuofubudmi-story.html?fbclid=IwAR0U5tbRq19lWsS4DF4PDsIZ5qzF_8ybno8BXay1fDg5bSZif58RgNVQwyU

Wednesday’s letter comes during a year of upheaval for the polarizing gifted program, which plucks students at age four for advanced courses that are walled off in separate classrooms and schools.

04/26/2021

The D2 candidate forum was posted. Unfortunately, the quality of the recording is so-so.

There are many quality candidates running. I hope I can get your support. D2 is at a crossroads and I would like to be part of making this district flourish for our children.

This is "CEC 2 Candidate Forum" by LearningTimes on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

04/26/2021

My name is Craig Slutzkin and I'm running to represent you and your children on Community Education Council District 2.
I believe that the job of schools is to EDUCATE. I am running for the CEC because I want to fight for our D2’s schools to do a great job educating all our children.

My son is 5 – I’m invested in this community and will be for years to come. I’m a sole parent and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, a community of parents still growing in numbers. And while I’ll bring these unique perspectives to the council, I will represent everyone.

I may be relatively new to the system as a parent of a pre-k student, but I am not new to NYC public schools. I attended public schools growing up in NYC and have have been the Co-President of the Townsend Harris High School Alumni Association for over 15 years. I have worked closely with every principal in the school’s history and participated in the DOE selection committees for three principals.

Townsend Harris High School is one of the best schools in the state, and I have fought for many years to keep its standards high. That kind of advocacy is what I want to bring to D2. We should be fighting to keep our schools ACADEMICALLY RIGOROUS while serving the socio-emotional needs of all our students and celebrating the richness of our diversity.

I like to work WITH people, as opposed to going into a discussion looking to fight with everyone. Watching the D2 CEC meetings this year has been painful for many of us. If elected, I pledge to work with other CEC members, even if they disagree with me. As a member of Manhattan Community Board Five for eight years, I have worked with many groups who have been at opposite sides of the spectrum to try to reach optimal solutions. Not everyone has to agree, but we all need to show respect for each other’s opinions and communicate.

If elected to represent the families of D2 I will work collaboratively, advocate passionately and bring the de iron and civility that we all want to see in the important discussions surrounding our children’s education.