Serrano To Increase Community Engagement On Education

Senator Serrano was the guest speaker at the first annual "Parents Getting Involved with their Children's Education" workshop, on Thursday night in the Patterson Houses Center.

"We have a number of schools in the community being closed by the Department of Education," said the Senator. "While I acknowledge some of these schools were failing, we need to make sure the new schools address fundamental problems and do not make the same mistakes."

"Low-income communities like the South Bronx are tired of changes that look good on paper, but do nothing to evolve the way are children are educated," he said. "We need to engage parents, not confuse them. They are on the front lines of education, and they must have a stake in the decision-making process."

The Senator committed himself to joining forces with the residents at the meeting to organize a large forum for parents and students, one that would provide resources on college aid and scholarship programs, while also informing the community of the changing landscape of public schools in the community.

"We are going to make our voices heard, and the best way to do that is a strong and united community," he said.

The education workshop was organized by Nellie M. McKay and Wallace Hasan of the Patterson Volunteer Committee.

April 24 is the tentative date for the larger education forum. Call Senator Serrano's District Office, at (212) 828-5829, to get involved!