Q&A
Mastro's role in Giuliani's task force on bilingual education
3:41:17
·
7 min
Council Member Farías questions Randy Mastro about his role as co-chair of Mayor Giuliani's task force on bilingual education in the 1990s. Mastro defends the task force's recommendations and his position on bilingual education.
- Farías questions Mastro's qualifications to serve as co-chair of the bilingual education task force
- Mastro explains his role was related to his administrative skills and his work in the education space
- Farías accuses Mastro of advocating for the elimination of bilingual education
- Mastro strongly disputes this characterization, stating the task force recommended parental choice between bilingual education and English immersion
- He emphasizes that the proposal was not a condemnation of bilingual education but an attempt to address issues with students ending up in special education
- Mastro defends the task force's recommendations as supported by education officials and praised by the New York Times
Amanda Farías
3:41:17
In the 1990s, there was a national right wing movement aimed at dismantling bilingual education.
3:41:22
By 1999, the movement made its way into New York City, and mayor Giuliani formed the mayor's task force on bilingual education with the stated goal of making, quote, recommendations to the mayor and the board of education regarding the reform of bilingual education with an emphasis on intense English instruction for students who are not fluent in English.
3:41:43
End quote.
3:41:44
Mayor Giuliani named you as cochair to this task force.
3:41:47
Could you share with us what specific experience in bilingual education qualified you to serve as cochair for the task force?
Randy Mastro
3:41:54
Well, I was cochair of that task force with Harold Levy, the school's chancellor at the time.
3:42:00
And I was honored to serve.
3:42:03
I think that had more to do with, you know, my administrative skills, but I was honored to serve with Harold I also went on the board of CUNY where I was, you know, confirmed by the state senate.
3:42:17
So I had done work in the education space, and I cared about that issue.
3:42:24
And Harold and I were extremely closely together.
3:42:26
Unfortunately, Harold passed away, or I think he would be here talking about how construction.
Amanda Farías
3:42:31
Okay.
3:42:31
So while serving as culture, you were rather vocal about the failure of bilingual education.
3:42:36
In fact, Though the final recommendations fell short of it, you advocated for the complete elimination of bilingual education in New
Diana Ayala
3:42:44
York.
3:42:44
Schools.
Randy Mastro
3:42:45
Would you like to know what I
Amanda Farías
3:42:46
I'm going to finish, and then I'll give you a moment to respond.
3:42:49
Please.
3:42:49
Thank you.
3:42:49
Supporting of bilingual classes argue that's students who went through the program scored higher on standardized tests than did US born speakers.
3:42:57
Your position was quite vocally opposed by prominent Latino civil rights organizations that saw mayor Giuliani's antagonistic stance towards bilingual education as a xenophobic dog whistle designed to score political points with a certain subset of voters who support Giuliani's saw sought for his US senate run.
3:43:16
Considering the pains taken by Giuliani to suppress the Latino vote back in 93.
3:43:22
It is difficult to file them that he had their best interest at heart during his tenure, particularly when it came to focusing significant resources to their education.
3:43:31
Given the lack of experience in education and education policy, it would seem that Giuliani tapped you as a chair to this commission because he trusted you most to get the job of dismantling a set of programs meant to serve the Latino community as well as other immigrant groups.
3:43:48
Is that right?
Randy Mastro
3:43:50
No.
3:43:51
And I have to explain because you have it completely wrong.
3:43:55
The proposal that we made as a result of that commissions work.
3:44:01
It was not a condemnation of bilingual education, but too many students who were in bilingual education because there were over a 160 languages spoken in the New York City public school system at the time.
3:44:15
Too many of them were ending up in special education.
3:44:18
Too many.
3:44:19
And what we proposed was not the elimination of bilingual education or any of the resources given to bilingual education.
3:44:27
What we proposed was offering parental choice, an alternative.
3:44:33
Those parents who wanted English immersion could choose that.
3:44:37
Those parents who wanted to stay in bilingual education could choose that.
3:44:41
You couldn't have had a more solemn, responsible position.
3:44:46
Howard Levy favored it.
3:44:48
The New York Times said what we proposed was historic and could be groundbreaking, giving parents the choice of whether their children had English immersion or whether they had bilingual education.
3:44:59
And guess what?
3:45:00
You wanna ask me what one of my biggest disappointments was from the Giuliani administration?
3:45:05
It was not.
3:45:08
That.
3:45:09
In fact, I I mean, it it was not the position of the mayor on bilingual education.
3:45:14
It was that he didn't carry through and implement the recommendations of that commission because it could have been historic for every community to give parental choice.
3:45:23
What could be more empowering than giving parental choice, funding both programs.
3:45:28
But unfortunately, the chancellor and the mayor couldn't agree on the funding for the alternative program, so it didn't happen.
3:45:36
And to this day, I wish parents had had that choice.
3:45:39
I was pro students who needed bilingual education or preferred English immersion and parents having that choice.
3:45:47
So and in a throw those students, counsel, woman.
3:45:50
It was gonna throw those students.
Amanda Farías
3:45:51
I'm gonna move to the next question in the appendix to the 2000 mayor's report on bilingual education.
3:45:56
You called for the city and the then board of education to move to vacate the then twenty six year old federal court as a spirit of consent decree.
3:46:05
Such a vocation would have eliminated students' rights to a bilingual education and the city's obligation to provide it.
3:46:11
Why did you advocate for the vocation of the consent decree, and would you have the same position today?
Randy Mastro
3:46:15
Okay.
3:46:16
It was a component of what we were proposing.
3:46:19
You had to give them choice, so you had to have the ability to give parents choice.
3:46:24
It was not that we had a problem with bilingual education.
3:46:27
It was that we were trying to give parental choice.
3:46:29
So please don't don't misunderstand what we were doing.
3:46:34
What we were doing was supported across the board.
3:46:38
And the New York Times said would have been historic.
Amanda Farías
3:46:42
Sure.
3:46:42
I mean, although flexibility in the programs implementation and and accelerated English language acquisitions are laudable goals, as you're saying, you're going towards parental choice.
3:46:55
Vacating the consent decree would have eliminated students' right to a bilingual education and the city's obligation to provide it.
3:47:02
I mean, that is a key component here.
3:47:04
You called bilingual education a failure, and that's a quote.
Randy Mastro
3:47:09
It was failing too many students because too many of them ended up in special education.
3:47:14
If you look at the report, you will see the percentage of students in bilingual education who were being dumped into special ed.
3:47:20
That was a tragedy.
3:47:22
These kids deserved choice.
Amanda Farías
3:47:25
The report will be in the record, so we'll make sure folks have access to why should we trust that you wouldn't imperil the right of New York City's diverse student population to a bilingual education today?
Randy Mastro
3:47:36
Because I championed the right of kids in bilingual education and their parents to have choice.
3:47:43
I think that would be a good thing today.
3:47:45
I want them to succeed.
3:47:48
I wanted them to succeed then.
3:47:50
And 2, many of our children were left behind in the old system I hope it's improved today.
3:47:56
I haven't been in government for the past 20 plus years.
3:48:00
But back in 2000, too many of our kids were left behind.
3:48:06
Too many of them were ending up in special education.
3:48:09
And I wanted do something to improve that.
3:48:11
And the chancellor of the school system agreed with me, and the New York Times said, Hurray, it's historic what you're trying to do.
Amanda Farías
3:48:18
So I wanna pick up on the line of questioning from deputy speaker Ayala started related to your support of the gate community.