Equity Council Elections

Composition and Selection

The Equity Council is comprised of a maximum of fifteen (15) parent leaders, comprised of approximately nine (9) Community Education Council (CEC) members, four (4) Chancellor's Parent Advisory Council (CPAC) members, and two (2) Citywide Council members. The Equity Council seats are distributed as follows: 

• Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and Bronx CEC members have 2 seats in each of their respective boroughs.
• Staten Island CEC members have 1 seat.
• CPAC members have 4 seats.
• Citywide Council members have 2 seats.

• Community and Citywide Education Council (CCEC) members serve 2 years on the Equity Council, or until their CCEC term ends, whichever is shorter.
• CPAC members serve 1 year on the Equity Council, or until their CPAC term ends, whichever is shorter.

Information about the Equity Council voting process, qualifications, and eligibility requirements will be distributed to the parent leadership councils during each election cycle.

• Must be a current voting member of a CCEC or CPAC. 
• Must have served on a CCEC or CPAC for one year. 
• No prior removal from any parent leadership governance structure. 
• Must commit to serving a full term and to reviewing cases in person and/or virtually. 

How to Apply

Expectations

• Members sign a non-disclosure agreement to ensure confidentiality of investigative and deliberative processes and materials. 
• Members cannot review cases arising out of incidents in their citywide council or district. 
• Members will voluntarily recuse themselves from cases where they have a conflict of interest. 
• Members will support discussions related to annual review of Chancellor's Regulation D-210. 
• Members will review cases in a panel consisting of three (3) Equity Council members. 

Voting

• Each CCEC member may cast one vote for each borough-based and citywide ballot on the Equity Council (6 votes total).  
  

• Each CPAC member may cast two votes for the CPAC seats on the Equity Council (2 votes total).  

• A CCEC member who is also a CPAC member may vote in both capacities. Such an individual may cast 8 votes as a CCEC member and 2 additional votes as a CPAC member (10 votes total). 

• Candidates may vote for themselves as one of their choices. 

• The candidates with the most votes in each group will be selected to fill that group’s seats

• Members will be appointed based on the results of the votes as follows: 
  • Top two CEC candidates for Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx 
  • Top candidate for Staten Island 
  • Top four candidates for CPAC 
  • Top two candidates for Citywide Councils

However, if a winning candidate is a member of a CCEC that already has a seated member, that candidate cannot be seated, as the seat must go to a member on a different CEC. The next candidate with the most votes who is not from a council that is already represented on the Equity Council will be seated. This ensures no single council has disproportionate influence on the Equity Council. Additionally, if a borough does not select any candidates, the highest voted runner-up from another borough will be selected to fill the seat.

Runoffs

Run-off elections can occur when more than one candidate is tied in top positions for a particular category (CEC, CPAC, Citywide Council).

In the case of a tie, between or among candidates, only the candidates who were tied will be entered in the run off.

Vacancies

If vacancies occur before a member’s term ends, eligible candidates may apply and will be elected by a vote of the Equity Council members. 

Resignations

Must be in writing, addressed to the Equity Compliance Officer (ECO) at eco@schools.nyc.gov. Resignations shall take effect immediately upon delivery to the ECO unless a future date is specified. Resignations may not be withdrawn, canceled, or amended except by consent of FACE.