“Schoolhouse Walk” Program to Raise Millions for Education

May 7, 2007 (GBN News): The Madison Avenue “Gallery Walk”, an event which is expected to raise money for arts education in the NY City schools through an art gallery tour and silent auction, has generated such interest among wealthy New Yorkers that Schools Chancellor Joel Klein is already planning to expand the concept. This summer, the Department of Education will sponsor “Schoolhouse Walk”, a program which will feature tours of NY City schools and a silent auction through which individuals can buy the rights to those schools.

“It’s similar to the ‘Adopt-a-Highway’ program,” the Chancellor told GBN News, “But instead of just being responsible for litter pickup, they’ll actually run the entire school.” Mr. Klein went on to say, “You don’t have to be a billionaire like Eli Broad or Bill Gates to be an educational expert. We are committed to giving people of lesser means a chance as well. So for a mere 10 or 20 million, anyone can try their hand at educational reform. It’s a win-win situation for the schoolchildren of our city. Not only will this pump badly needed dollars into the schools, but with so many new leaders running the schools, it can’t help but shake up the status quo and improve test scores.”

Sources at the DOE told GBN News that Mr. Klein believes that by offering an “ownership stake” in the schools to people who by and large send their children to private schools, they can generate greater interest in public schools among the wealthy without the burden of their children actually attending them. “The Mayor and Chancellor,” one DOE staffer said on condition of anonymity, “see this as the epitome of parent involvement.”