An open letter to the New Haven Charter Revision Commission:
I urge you to not change the way the Board of Education is selected. New Haven schools have a long history of being inadequate and we have a huge education gap.
Fortunately, New Haven is in the middle of a very intense reform effort to upgrade its schools and end the education gap. It is working. Real progress is being made and the city’s efforts are receiving national attention.
Part of the uniqueness of New Haven is that the Board of Education is appointed by and responsible to the mayor. The mayor selects people who are committed to making the reform continue. The current mayor has given the board a reform mission. The mayor can replace board members who do not contribute to this mission.
The new mayor will be able to select his or her own board, and the board will be responsible for keeping the reform continuing. Voters can replace the mayor if they are not satisfied with the mayor and the actions of the board.
Having the mayor select the Board of Education is unusual. It is my understanding in other Connecticut towns and cities the voters select the board members. This has led to some bad results, as we have seen in Bridgeport, where political infighting was prevalent. Radical corrective steps are now being taken.
In New Haven, we have an experiment underway. Progress at this time is good. We should not change how the board members are selected and risk losing the reform momentum underway.
Robert Kreitler
New Haven