MAYOR MASIELLO TO PARTICPATE IN EDUCATION FORUM HOSTED BY AMBASSADOR ANDREW YOUNG
December 10, 1999
Contact: Peter K. Cutler (716) 851-4841

BUFFALO (12/10/99) - Mayor Anthony M. Masiello will travel to New York City on Monday, December 13th to participate in an education forum hosted by Ambassador Andrew Young and sponsored by the Drum Major Institute. The forum is entitled: Every Child Deserves…A Quality Education and Safe School, A Forum for the New Century.

The Mayor is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion that will focus on the following topic: Inequities in Education: The Growing Disparities Between the Affluent and Poor In America's Schools. Joining Mayor Masiello on the panel are: Brent Staples, Moderator, Editorial Writer, The New York Times; Rudolph Crew, New York City Board of Education Chancellor; Diane Ravitch, Research Professor, New York University; Rev. Floyd Flake, Senior Pastor, Cathedral of Allen A.M.E. Church (former Member of Congress); Benno Schmidt, Chairman, Edison Project (former President, Yale University); and Randi Weingarten, President, United Federation of Teachers.

"As the only mayor participating in the Drum Major Institute forum, I look forward to the opportunity to discuss the challenges the City of Buffalo faces in seeking to provide the best possible education for the nearly 40,000 students attending our public schools," stated Mayor Masiello. "The disparity that exist between our city's school district versus some of our affluent suburban communities is well documented. I intend, however, to discuss my administration's efforts through the development of Community Schools, the Parent Initiative and the Joint Schools Construction Board to bring about lasting and meaningful change to the overall academic experience of our children."

Harry Wachtel, a lawyer and close confidant of Martin Luther King, Jr., founded the Drum Major Institute. The Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to providing a sustained environment for the open discussion of major policy issues with the goal of fostering leadership, informed citizens and creative solutions in public policy for the benefit of the public good.