GothamSchools
Election
Questionnaire


Thank
you
for
taking
the
time
to
complete
this
questionnaire.
GothamSchools
is
an

independent
news
source
about
the
New
York
City
public
schools.
Your
views
and
comments

will
be
published
online
at
GothamSchools.org
as
part
of
our
2009
campaign
coverage.



Please
complete
and
return
by
Wednesday,
August
19.
Email
to
aphillips@gothamschools.org

or
fax
to
(646)
390‐2624.




1.
 Have
you
been
endorsed
by
the
United
Federation
of
Teachers?




Yes






No


2.
 Have
you
received
campaign
contributions
from
the
following
education‐related
political

action
committees?


Yes



No



Democrats
for
Education
Reform

Yes



No



United
Federation
of
Teachers

Yes



No



Council
of
School
Supervisors
and
Administrators

Yes



No



New
York
Education
Voters

Yes



No



Educational
Justice
PAC

Other:________________________


3.
 Do
you
have
children
in
the
public
school
system?



Yes







No

If
so,
how
would
you
describe
their
experience?



Poor



1



2



3



4



5



Excellent


4.
 Do
you
support
programs
like
Teaching
Fellows
and
Teach
for
America?




Yes







Yes,
with
reservations







No


5.
 Do
you
support
efforts
to
stop
the
growth
of
charter
schools?

Yes







Yes,
with
reservations







No


6.
 Would
you
preserve
school
report
cards
as
they
are
now?





Yes







No


7.
 Do
you
believe
test
scores
should
be
a
factor
in
determining
whether
teachers
receive








tenure?





Yes







Yes,
with
reservations







No

8.
 Do
you
support
the
2009
law
giving
the
mayor
control
of
the
public
schools?

a.
Yes,
I
like
the
current
school
governance
system.

b.
Yes,
but
there
should
be
more
checks
and
balances
limiting
the
mayor's
power

c.
No,
it
gives
mayor
too
much
power.

d.
No,
I
would
like
to
return
to
a
Board
of
Education
model


9.
 What
letter
grade
would
you
give
the
public
schools
in
your
district
right
now?


10.
 In
the
last
eight
years,
have
the
schools
in
your
district
improved,
stayed
the
same,
or








worsened?

How?


11.
 Do
you
support
Joel
Klein
remaining
chancellor
of
the
city’s
schools?





Yes







No

If
not,
who
would
you
suggest
to
replace
him?


12.
 What's
an
appropriate
cap
for
charter
schools,
or
should
they
exist
at
all
(the
current
cap
is
200

statewide)?


13.
 What's
the
best
way
to
improve
a
struggling
public
school?


14.
 What’s
the
single
greatest
problem
facing
the
schools
in
your
district
and
what
specific
policy

would
you
propose
to
combat
it?