PROBLEMS OF SCHOOL DECENTRALIZATION IN NEW YORK CITY / MARILYN GITTELL.

DEMANDS FOR GREATER COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN AND LOCAL CONTROL OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY INSISTENT. IN SEVERAL OF NEW YORK CITY'S SCHOOL DISTRICTS LOCAL BOARDS HAVE TAKEN THE INITIATIVE TO HEIGHTEN THEIR EFFECTIVENESS AND POWERS, BUT THEY AND OTHERS DISAGREE ABOUT DEFINITION OF DECENTRALIZATION AND WAYS TO IMPLEMENT IT. AN EFFECTIVE PLAN MUST CLARIFY (1) SELECTION PROCEDURES FOR LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDS, (2) WAYS TO APPOINT THE LOCAL SUPERINTENDENT, (3) BUDGET QUESTIONS, (4) DEPLOYMENT OF PERSONNEL, AND (5) SCHOOL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES. WIDESPREAD COMMUNITY REPRESENTATION ON LOCAL BOARDS IS ONE WAY TO HAVE LOCAL LOYALTY AND PROBLEMS BETTER REFLECTED IN THE SCHOOLS. A TYPICAL 11-MEMBER GROUP MIGHT INCLUDE FIVE PARENTS, TWO TEACHERS, THREE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION REPRESENTATIVES, AND ONE ELECTED LOCAL OFFICIAL. THE DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT SHOULD BE CHOSEN BY THE CRITERIA OF LOCAL SELECTION, FOCUS OF HIS LOYALTIES, ACCOUNTABILITY AND ABILITY TO DEVELOP COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. LUMP SUM APPROPRIATIONS WOULD AID LOCAL PLANNING FOR BUDGET ALLOCATIONS AND LOCAL CONTROL OVER THE DEVELOPMENT OF STAFF. SUCH BUDGET CONTROL IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT WAY TO RESPOND TO COMMUNITY INTEREST AND TO ENCOURAGE INNOVATION AND PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY. PRACTICAL DECENTRALIZED BOUNDARIES MIGHT BE DERIVED FROM EDUCATIONAL PARKS, STRENGTHENING THE PRESENT 31 SCHOOL DISTRICTS OR REORGANIZING THEM INTO 15 NEW AREAS, OR FROM CREATING FIVE NEW BOROUGH-WIDE DIVISIONS. THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN "THE URBAN REVIEW," VOLUME 2, FEBRUARY 1967. (NH)

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