More than a dozen elected officials in Manhattan signed a letter asking New York City Education Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos to intervene in a local education council amid allegations that members have been manipulating quorum to prevent votes on resolutions, including those pertaining to transgender issues.
The letter, dated April 10, represents the latest chapter in a year-long controversy that began in March of last year when members of Community Education Council District 2 approved Resolution 248, which called for the formation of a new committee to review and potentially oppose trans inclusion in school sports.
The resolution was non-binding — the education councils only play an advisory role — and at the time, the city’s Education Department affirmed that “every student can participate in sports and competitive athletics in accordance with their gender identity, and we prohibit any exclusion of students based on their gender identity or expression,” according to Politico. City and state policies further protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination.
The passage of Resolution 248, however, shocked the public and drew widespread outrage. The leader of the education council, Craig Slutzkin, faced blowback for his vote in favor of it, and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine subsequently opted against reappointing him to a separate Community Board 5 post.
Last year, Slutzkin told Gay City News that the widely-criticized resolution called “for dialogue on the difficult topic of transgender children in sports.”
“I believe that it is incumbent on all of us to engage in difficult conversations with honesty and integrity,” Slutzkin said. “I want to make it clear that I harbor no bias of any kind, whether it is based on race, creed, gender, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.”
A year later, however, the issue is continuing to rage within Community Education Council District 2. Members of the council who oppose Resolution 248 have sought to rescind the resolution, but they say they keep getting stonewalled when it is brought up for a vote.
Those concerns prompted a group of lawmakers representing multiple levels of government — from Congress to the City Council — to join together on the letter, which decried “ongoing dysfunction” in the education council.
The letter said some members attend meetings just long enough to be marked as present “and then leave before votes can be held — thereby stripping the Council of quorum and bringing its business to a halt.” The “most troubling” pattern, the letter alleges, is “the recurring manipulation of quorum to obstruct votes on key resolutions.”
“This tactic has been used repeatedly and appears to be coordinated to prevent the passage of resolutions some members oppose,” noted the letter, which was signed by Councilmembers Erik Bottcher, Christopher Marte, Carlina Rivera, Keith Powers, Julie Menin, and Gale Brewer; Congressmembers Jerrold Nadler and Dan Goldman; State Senators Liz Krueger, Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and Kristen Gonzalez; State Assemblymembers Deborah Glick, Linda Rosenthal, Harvey Epstein, Tony Simone, and Rebecca Seawright; and Levine.
YouTube video footage of recent meetings shows examples of individuals leaving the room ahead of votes, forcing the group to postpone votes on pending resolutions.
In one example, Councilmember Danyela Egorov departed in the middle of the February meeting, prompting Slutzkin to announce that quorum was lost.
“We’re down to six voting members,” Slutzkin said. “As a result, we will not be able to take a vote tonight.” Moments later, Slutzkin said Egorov had been “coughing all day.”
A similar development unfolded in the March meeting. Councilmember Maud Maron left the meeting as soon as Slutzkin started reading Resolution 248. Maron’s departure prompted commotion from members of the audience.
Like in the previous meeting, Slutzkin announced that there were suddenly not enough members on hand to cast votes.
“We do not have quorum,” Slutzkin said. “We will not vote on the resolutions tonight.”
Maron has a reputation for expressing anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. She once sent group chat messages claiming that “there is no such thing as trans kids [because] there is no such thing as transition i.e. changing your sex,” according to a report by The 74.
Among other issues, the elected officials’ letter also expressed “serious concern about the failure to follow the council’s own bylaws regarding attendance,” which stipulate that any member who accrues three unexcused absences in a term is considered to have vacated their seat.
“Instead of enforcing this policy, the chair of the Council has facilitated votes to retroactively alter previously approved meeting minutes — reclassifying absences as excused without proper documentation or public justification,” the letter stated. “This not only undermines public trust but may constitute a violation of DOE protocols.”
During the March meeting, Slutzkin called for several motions, including to approve excusals for Maron, Allyson Bowen, and Sabine Serinese in previous meetings and to amend the minutes of previous meetings. Maron, Bowen, Serinese, and Len Silverman sponsored the anti-trans resolution, which passed 8-3 last year.
Slutzkin motioned to amend the minutes from the January meeting to “reflect that Councilmember Maud Maron requested an excusal due to child illness,” and an identical motion for Egorov regarding December’s meeting, citing “an excusal due to child illness,” according to drafts posted online.
Slutzkin also made a motion to amend the minutes from September 2024 and July 2023 to reflect that Egorov sought an excusal because she was “out of town” and that Bowen requested an excusal due to a “work-related commitment.” Most of the motions in that meeting were either made or seconded by members who were original sponsors of the anti-trans resolution.
Sara Schacter-Erenburg, a current board member who said she did not run for re-election this year, said the campaign to reverse course on Resolution 248 will be brought forward every month “until it gets rescinded.”
“It will never get rescinded with the current makeup of the board,” Schacter-Erenburg told Gay City News in a phone interview. “They’re leaving [early] because they don’t want to be on record voting against it… They’ve had excuses for everything.”
Shannon Peitzer, who is involved in an advocacy effort known as Aunties and Friends for Liberation, told Gay City News that the best way to address the issue is to reshape the makeup of the board through elections. The most recent elections for community education councils, including District 2, concluded on May 13. The results are expected to be announced in June.
“I’m a big believer in participatory government and people getting a voice,” Peitzer said.
Other individuals who are closely following the issue include Dr. Megan Pamela Ruth Madison, who is on the board of Trans formative schools, a free after school program designed for trans, queer, non-binary, and gender expansive students. Madison first became involved in school board organizing after she faced hostility when she authored a series of books called “First Conversations,” which taught parents about how to have sensitive discussions with their children about issues such as race and gender.
“I feel so proud of all of the organizing work that has been done and I feel like we’re really making an impact,” Madison told Gay City News. “While things are really bad right now, I see it as progress because things have been really bad for awhile, but people weren’t really paying attention.”
The elected officials’ letter called on Aviles-Ramos to open an investigation into the governance practices of Community Education Council District 2; clarify what constitutes “presence” for quorum purposes; enforce bylaws regarding unexcused absences; assess the leadership structure and establish rules for transparency and accountability; ensure that individuals who undermine the council’s function cannot seek re-election; and provide Community Education Council District 2 with a trained parliamentarian to make sure the rules are followed.
“We stand with the many parents and community members who have raised these issues and ask your office to take swift and meaningful action,” the letter concluded.
Peitzer believes those who support or defend Resolution 248 want to spread the issue to other areas with the intention of gaining broader support and ultimately convincing the Department of Education to backtrack on trans rights. But Peitzer also believes the controversy represents an opportunity for the community to band together against hate.
“If you look at what is happening here and feel the need to flee or to fall into despair, know that we can’t fight hatred or fear with wrath and despair,” Peitzer said. “I think victory and solidarity come from joy, come from finding the places and communities in life that fill our hearts and feed our souls and give us nourishment. I think that’s what we built around this travesty of Community Education Council District 2, and I think there’s a lot of joy to be had in knowing that there is still hope, even in dark times — and I would say these are dark times. It is far from over.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Education told Gay City News on May 16 that the department has been unsuccessful in efforts to engage with members of the council.
“Although community education councils are independent bodies of elected parent leaders, we are deeply concerned about disruptions during Community Education Council District 2 meetings, including disruptions to quorum requirements that lead to inefficient meetings,” the spokesperson said. “While we have made multiple good-faith efforts to engage council members in mediation, they have declined to engage with us. In partnership with the Office of Safety and Youth Development, we have enhanced security measures to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all attendees of the community education council meetings. We do rely on community education council for internal collaboration and cooperation, and remain committed to continuing these efforts to support a productive path forward.”
Slutzkin and Community Education Council District 2 did not respond to Gay City News’ request for comment.
