Parents who back merit, higher standards sweep NYC school council elections

City parent education-council candidates endorsed by a group that supports controversial merit-based admissions and rigorous academic standards dominated recent school-board elections, results show.

Nearly three-quarters of the parent hopefuls backed by Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education won school-council seats and will now make up a significant 40% of all elected reps on the Citywide & Community Education Councils — the city’s version of school boards — for the 2023-2025 term.

PLACE NYC candidates swept all the elected seats on the Citywide Council on High Schools (CCHS), which represents about 300,000 families, as well as some of the city’s top-performing school districts, including District 20 in southern Brooklyn and District 26 in northeast Queens.

PLACE-endorsed candidates also romped in Manhattan’s Districts 2 and 3 and Queens’ Districts 25 and 28.

The tremendous showing is a stunning rebuke to liberal education activists who have pushed to scrap merit-based admissions and screening by arguing that such policies weed out black and Hispanic students and worsen segregation.

“The results of this election is a clear mandate from New York City Public School parents for expanded accelerated education opportunities and merit-based admissions,” PLACE said in a press release.

“It is now incumbent upon [city schools] Chancellor [David] Banks to ensure that his Superintendents and administration listen to these elected parent leaders. NYC families have spoken,” the group said.

Many of the school districts where PLACE candidates won have large Asian and immigrant populations, whose students have historically fared particularly well getting into schools and programs with merit-based admissions.

Meanwhile, blacks and Hispanics comprise two-thirds of the students in the city’s public school system but only about 10% of the students at the specialized high schools, for example.

Advocates of merit-based programs support: preserving the status quo at specialized high schools such as Stuyvesant and Bronx Science, which require a single admissions test for entry; the use of academic grades and other merit screening to enroll at other middle schools and high schools; more gifted and talented and honors programs and rigorous Regents Exams for high-school graduation. 

Some members of the group also support the expansion of charter schools as an option for students.      

Politically, parent voters in many of these same areas have supported Republican candidates in recent election cycles — in protest against efforts from the progressive left including former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration — to phase out admissions screening. 

The Community Education Councils, or CECs, have the power to approve or reject school rezoning plans, pass resolutions on school policy and other related matters, as well as consult with district superintendents.

The latest election results mean PLACE members who back merit-based education and more rigorous standards now have a bigger megaphone.

The city’s 32 councils — which meet monthly during the academic year — each have 10 elected members with two appointed by the local borough president.

In all, the diverse candidates supported by PLACE won 133 seats, and the group boasted that the parents represent a broad array of the city’s ethnic, cultural, racial, and religious communities — many of whom are immigrants.

PLACE’s agenda has influenced Mayor Eric Adams’ administration and his hand-picked school’s chancellor, Banks. For example, Banks agreed to expand gifted and talented seats — a top PLACE priority.

“PLACE applauds parents who stepped up to run for Council seats and volunteer their time to make our public schools better,” said Chien Kwok, PLACE NY co-president, in a statement.

“We took on the tremendous work of recruiting and educating parents about CECs and take enormous pride in helping elect 133 parents who will serve their communities in the next two years.”

Newly elected Brooklyn CEC high-school representative Linda Quarles said,  “PLACE NYC continues to lead the way for families who want rigorous education and merit-based admissions for our students. I am motivated by the important work PLACE does and inspired to see PLACE expand its outreach.”  

New District 2 CEC member Charles Love added, “I am grateful to PLACE for their efforts to ensure all NYC Public Schools stay focused on providing a high-quality education for all students.

“The information sessions and campaign guidance provided by PLACE volunteers were helpful for a first-time candidate such as myself. I am looking forward to serving on CEC2.”

Some liberal education advocates have expressed concern about the more conservative PLACE’s growing influence in the city school system, with some of its candidates bringing national culture wars to the Big Apple.

THE CITY news site reported about some PLACE-backed candidates opposing critical race theory and likening the more race-based teaching of black history to Nazi ideology.

PLACE wasn’t the only parent-led group that endorsed candidates.

A liberal group called Parents for Middle School Equity, based in Brooklyn’s District 15 — covering Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, and part of Sunset Park — also backed a slate of candidates.

But an analysis by Chalkbeat found that less than a quarter of its endorsed candidates won seats across the city — far less than the more conservative PLACE.