The Billionaire With Blinders

from Tony Avella

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 20, 2009
INTERVIEWS: James Trimarco, (718) 855-7038, (646) 244-0479
Mariah Craven, (718) 855-7035
TONY AVELLA CALLS BLOOMBERG COMMENTS AN EMBARRASSMENT TO PARENTS, STUDENTS, AND NYC SCHOOL FACULTY
New York City – New York City Councilman and Mayoral candidate Tony Avella (D-Queens) sharply criticized Mayor Michael Bloomberg after hearing his outrageous comments on the Mayoral Control bill that stalled in the state Senate last week.

Avella said he was shocked by what he heard on Bloomberg’s weekly radio address. The mayor told radio host John Gambling that the latest version of the bill would get parents too involved in schools, and that their involvement would cause disruptions.
“I never thought I’d hear someone who claimed to be in favor of improving schools trying to cut parents out of the equation,” Avella said. “Parental involvement is essential to good schools. Apparently the mayor doesn’t understand that.”
During last week’s address, Bloomberg said, “they want to have this slush fund to train parents so that parents can disrupt the schools. I want our principals and our teachers to run the classroom…. [C]an you imagine?! We’re going to have people on the streets to tell our police department how to work? No, we don’t want to do that.”
Bloomberg was referring to a portion of the revised Better Schools Act that calls for the creation of a center for parent and student service and empowerment. The center would educate parents and students about ways to get involved in the school system and would encourage more participation in parent-teacher associations and school leadership teams.
“I don’t know where Mayor Bloomberg got the idea that parents are the problem,” Avella said. “This is about everyone in the community working together to make sure our kids get the best possible education.”
Avella knows how to create successful partnerships between parents and teachers. Schools in his Queens district are among the best-performing in the city, in part because he has been able to facilitate strong relationships between parents and teachers.
“Bloomberg’s statements are further proof that the Mayor is a billionaire with blinders on,” Avella said. “We need the community’s input on how our schools are run. We need their input on how our police officers are doing, as well. What we don’t want is a Mayor who wants to wave a royal scepter and exclude us from our own City government.”