Education Council finally elects new slate of officers

By Kate McNeil

After failing to have enough members show up and vote at last month's meeting, the Community Education Council of District 10 barely made quorum last week to hold its officer elections.

Four of the five officer seats were filled at the Aug. 9 meeting, at PS 54.

Riverdale resident Marvin Shelton, a parent at PS 24, has again been elected president of the local council. This is his third term serving as head of the board.

Rosetta Hall, another returning council member who served as secretary last term, was named first vice president. Ms. Hall, who lives in the Norwood section of the Bronx, has two children attending schools in the Tremont area - a daughter at MS 118 and a son at the Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science, MS 241.

Two new members to the council, Angela Castillo, a parent at PS 85, and Denise Sullivan, a parent at MS 254, both in the Fordham section, will serve as treasurer and secretary, respectively.

No one was nominated for the position of second vice president, so the position will remain open until the September meeting.

The elections, which should have taken place at the first meeting of the new term, had to be postponed until this month when seven of the council's 11 members failed to show at July's meeting. Attendance only slightly improved this month - half of the council, the smallest group required for quorum, was present.

What's more, two slots on the council remain vacant.

One of the elected parents, Caridad Fournier-Rosado, resigned last month after a serious knee injury. And one of the two borough president appointees remains unnamed.

The other appointee, Judith Powell Daly, has not attended either meeting this term.

The 13-member board - made up of 10 parents, the borough president appointees and a nonvoting high school senior - has been missing a second borough president appointee since February 2006.

Borough president spokesman Mike Murphy said his office is "in the process of reviewing resumes" for the vacant post, and said "a decision will be made shortly."

Mr. Shelton encouraged the small audience at last week's meeting to get the word out about the parent vacancy on the council.

To qualify, applicants must be a parent of an elementary or middle school student in Community School District 10.

To obtain an application, call the CEC office at 718-741-5836.