Apply to Run for NYC’s Education Councils by March 4

EDITOR’S NOTE (2/26/21): The deadline to submit your CCEC application has been extended to Thursday, March 4, 2021. We’ve updated the text below to reflect this new deadline.

NYC Parents: It’s time to Run, Serve, and Lead.

From now through Thursday, March 4, 2021, all parents/guardians of current New York City public school students can apply to run for seats on any of the City’s 36 Community and Citywide Education Councils (CCEC) during the 2021 CCEC Elections later this year.

CCECs play vital roles in City schools, as they help shape important decisions in school districts across the five boroughs. Each elected member serves a two-year term, and responsibilities include granting approvals for zoning lines, advising on education policies and improvements to school buildings, and holding public meetings, among others.

Applying to Run for a CCEC Seat

Any parent of a current NYC public school student can apply to run for election to CCEC seats—no prior educational or leadership experience is required.

To run for a CCEC seat, you will need to submit an application through your NYC Schools Account (NYCSA) by 11:59 p.m. on March 4, 2021—in addition, you will need to ensure that your NYCSA has the most up-to-date registration information for all of your children who are currently attending DOE public schools in grades Pre-K through 12.

Once your application is submitted, and your eligibility is verified, you will be able to run for seats in at least one of the following CCECs later this year:

Community Education Councils (CEC)

CECs offer parents the opportunity to support and impact education at the district level. There are 32 CECs across the City, one for each Community School District, and each CEC consists of 11 voting members.

Citywide Councils

These councils are responsible for advising and commenting on citywide educational policies that involve specific student populations: high school students, multilingual learners, and students with disabilities. There are four citywide councils that parents/guardians can get elected to this spring:

• • • Citywide Council on High Schools (CCHS)
    • Citywide Council on English Language Learners (CCELL)
    • Citywide Council on Special Education (CCSE)
    • Citywide Council on District 75 (CCD75)

What Happens Next?

Following the the conclusion of the application period on March 4, the 2021 CCEC Election schedule will be as follows:

April 5–April 30

Virtual Candidate forums will take place — prospective candidates will be able to meet voters and try to make their case for why they should be elected.

May 1–11

General voting takes place online — parents across the five boroughs vote for their preferred CCEC candidates. All parents of current NYC public school students (Grades Pre-K–12) are eligible to vote during the 2021 CCEC Elections.

May 14

Runoff elections take place (as needed)

May–June 2021

Election results are announced

Want to Learn More?

For more detailed information about NYC’s Education Councils and the 2021 CCEC Elections, visit our official 2021 Community and Citywide Elections webpage. We also suggest that you join us for one of our remaining Virtual Information Sessions in February—simply click on the date of the session you would like to register for below:

• Monday, February 22 at 5:00 p.m. (English)
• Tuesday, February 23 at 12:00 p.m. (Arabic)
• Wednesday, February 24 at 5:00 p.m. (Russian)
• Thursday, February 25 at 12:00 p.m. (Haitian Creole)
• Thursday, February 25 at 5:00 p.m. (Korean)
• Friday, February 26 at 9:30 a.m. (Spanish)

As we begin to build momentum towards the full reopening of NYC public schools in fall 2021, we are excited that more parents than ever will be able to participate in the 2021 CCEC Elections and help shape and support our schools in the months and years to come.

On behalf of the NYC Department of Education, we wish all of this year’s potential CCEC candidates a smooth and rewarding election process!

Banner photo by Kamaji Ogino. Used under Creative Commons license. Original can be found on Pexels.