CDEC 26 President Caloras Says this is His Last Term

Without major fanfare, Community District Education Council President Rob Caloras announced at yesterday’s monthly meeting that he would not be renewing his term.

“Eight years is enough,” said Caloras.

He finished the very pithy announcement expressing his hope that “perhaps someone less jaded and fed up,” would take over for him as chair.

“He’ll be back,” said Mary Vaccaro of the United Federation of Teachers, a regular attendee of CDEC 26 meetings. Vaccaro believes Caloras is too passionate about the work of the Council to keep away.

Caloras began getting involved in school politics at PS221, where he sat as PTA President and Corresponding Secretary for two years.

He holds his crowning achievement on CDEC 26 to be a report issued by the Council, entitled District 26 School Governance Report. It was issued when the law giving Mayor Michael Bloomberg control of the public school system was up for renewal in 2009.

The report was a criticism of the policy, which Caloras said allowed Bloomberg to impose “dictatorial,” directives to schools. The State Legislature did ultimately vote to renew Mayoral Control, with a few changes in policy.

“That was the thing that killed me, after that was completely ignored,” Caloras said. He believes the report is understood better now than when it was first issued.

Caloras will give up his seat at the end of the term, in June. He has two children, a 11-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, still in the public school system.