While I am always pleased to be in the company of educators and parents, I have two added reasons for being glad to be here today. The first is that, as we speak, a small battalion of people are moving me back into the city this morning and I am infinitely happier to be here this afternoon,doing what I like to do best, instead of being back there doing what I like to do least.
But my second reason is more important. I'm happy to be here because of the subject that has drawn Buffalo parents, teachers, administrators and friends of education together today. Quality education is something this community can never discuss often enough and to see so many people here on such a fine Saturday afternoon is an indication of how much we all agreeon that premise.
When we were crafting the message and the mission of the Masiello for Mayor campaign last year, we sensed a need to focus our attention on three basic aspects of Buffalo life. We felt that if we could address the concerns of our citizens in these three areas, we would be well on our way -- not just to winning an election -- but to providing professional leadership to a city in desperate need of it.
So we built the campaign on a triangle. The base of the triangle was public safety. Unless people felt safe and comfortable about Buffalo, no one would want to live, work or be entertained here.The ascending arms of the triangle were education and neighborhoods. Even if you felt safe in Buffalo, you wouldn't want to live in sub-standard housing in filthy, run-down neighborhoods. And if you were a young, middle class family in Buffalo, you wouldn't want to live here if you weren't confident in the school system.
By including education as one of the main focuses of our campaign, we were taking a sizable risk. Public confidence in our public schools was not high and reasonable voices were arguing to allow the management and direction of the schools to be left in the hands of the elected school board and the superintendent.
And I suppose we could have taken the latter course and played it safe. But Tony Masiello was adamant on the subject: The schools stay in the triangle and must remain a priority in the campaign, just as they are now in the Masiello Administration.
The mayor's logic was very similar to the cause that brings us together today. We are all in this together -- students, parents, teachers administrators, and elected officials at every level of government.
Our ability to survive today and prosper tomorrow is directly proportional to our commitment to provide our children with quality education. Simply stated, there is no problem facing Buffalo today that can be addressed by better education.
Crime ... violence ... unemployment ...homelessness ... hopelessness ... racism ...intolerance ... despair ...put a child in a nurturing educational environment and help that child grow and flourish and we will produce better students ... better workers ... better human beings.
Writing at the turn of the century, one of America's finest minds, W.E.B. DuBois, wrote that "it is the trained, living, human soul, cultivated and strengthened by good education that breathes the real breath of life into boys and girls and makes them human, be they black or white, rich or poor, Greek or Italian or American. Education is the greatest equalizer."
If nothing else, DuBois reminds us that none of this thinking about education is new. Nor is it very controversial. One would have to be a complete moron or perhaps a four term mayor to failure to recognize the intrinsic value of education, not just to our children, but to the life of our city.
What is new is the approach that brings us together today -- the notion that responsiblity for the decision-making process can be shared. It might seem like a radical concept to some, but not to those of us who spent 1993 trying to change the direction in which our city was heading.
Throughout the year, we wrote, we spoke, and we thought in terms of cooperation, consensus, & coordination. We had endure a municipal dark ages where decision-making was centralized and everyone went along or incurred the wrath.
We knew, and the people of Buffalo knew, we could no longer endurethat kind of chaos and contumely. In that rarefied atmosphere, the only avenue left for dissent is criticism and criticism always resulted in ostracism and isolation. We simply can't afford that to happen in our schools.
One of the greatest strengths of Buffalo is the collective pride we feel about being here.We have an incredible opportunity to translate that pride into cooperative action throughout the community,but primarily in our schools.
The Compact for Learning can become the conduit to make the pride we feel about Buffalo and the love we have for our children become the catalysts for new growth and progressive development through the educational system.
One of the essential elements at the heart of the Masiello administration's housing program is the desire to turn renters into owners. In doing so, we seek to use a person or a family's
pride of ownership as a tool to first stabilize and later rebuild
Buffalo neighborhoods.
The notion of parent stakeholders can do the same thing. We want your caring and concern for your children to be translated into commitment to put your time ... your talent ... your energy to work for your child and our future.
It's not enough to criticism any longer. It's not enough to simply point out the faults of the system. It's time to come together, sharing common goals and blending individual abilities to create a new vision, a new process, and a new spirit of cooperation to make our good intentions and dreams for our children become the concerted action and common approach that can be amalgamated into an attainable mission for our kids and our community.
I'd like to make one thing perfectly clear at this juncture. During the four months of the Masiello Administration, I have had occasion to attend, speak to, and observe several classes and collective functions.
And I have come away with a new pride and greater understanding
of the terrific work being done throughout the school district by some dedicated and devoted professionals. These are educators who, for the most part, have laid aside some personal bitterness about their long standing lack of a work contract not just to provide basic instruction,
but to go the extra mile to make sure our kids are getting the educational opportunities they deserve.
But I also know that the perception of the Buffalo schools is not on a par with the reality, and as a political communicator, I also know the perception must be dealt with to foster a greater understanding of the reality.
And here we will find the first test of the efficacy of the parent-partnership created by the Compact. Today, our schools may need improve but tomorrow, they will need promotion. It falls to all of us,certainly to recognize faults and work to remedy them, but just as certainly, to become enthusiastic promoters of our schools when the remediation is accomplished.
That's what ownership, that's what shared decision-making can do. By making parents partners in our schools, we create that sense of ownership which will foster the pride of accomplishment that will get the message of the Buffalo schools out to the people.
How important is that? In the decade of the '80s, Buffalo lost 30,000 people who left Buffalo, but didn't leave the area. If Buffalo is to survive today, and grow and prosper tomorrow, we will have to do a better job of retaining existing residents and attracting new ones. Our schools will be one of the key elements in that vital mission and our parent stakeholders will be just as vital to our schools.
I'd like to leave you with a little story that is told about four men. We don't know who the author of this fable is but since it uses men to illustrate the point, it must have been a woman.
There were four men named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about it because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, and Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody, when actually, Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
You have decided to be a stakeholder in Buffalo public schools because you want the best for your child.Because we want the best for Buffalo, please count on Mayor Masiello and his administration as your partners in this, all other endeavors for our common progress.
Thanks.