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Countdown over slate

Funding for the show by announcer. Charitable orgs overlay the Eleventh Hour graphic.

Host Robert Lipsyte in studio sitting at his desk welcomes viewers to the show and introduces himself.

Lipsyte announces Chancellor Greene as tonight's guest but first cuts to a segment highlighting a poort and struggling School District, #14, Williamsburg/Greenspoint.

African American lady in white raincoat and holding umbrella reading lime green flyer.

Candidate for School Board #14, Joseph V. Stefanizzi, sitting in his office talking with unseen interviewer states that there will be many people not even aware there is an election.

Poster on pole to vote for Joseph V. Stefanizzi for Community School Board 14, Vote #1 Stefanizzi.

Talking heads, two overweight women, talk with unseen interviewer about the importance of voting in the school board election.

Patrons at fast food restaurant sitting in booth with trays of food, man being handed flyers

Young Spanish girl speaking with unseen interview about how "mysterious" the school board elections are, nobody knows anything about them, including who, what, where and when.

Rendering of a map of the borough of Brooklyn Community School Boards, District 14 highlighted in orange.

High School boys playing basketball in school court yard.

Exterior storefront of spanish grocery store, car parked in front, man at door smoking a cigarette, awning "Cold Cuts - Fresh Eggs.

Hassidic Jewish man holding the hand of small child walking down the street.

Pan out from banner to group of parents and school board nominees seated at table with parents and community activists in the room

Children playing on swings and slide in a city concrete park

B&W photo still, long term superintendent, School District #14, William Rogers holding a mic. Lipsyte narrates the objective is to get rid of him

Brother Robert Lally, Incumbent School Board Member talking with unseen interviewer about what a great educator Superintendent, William Rogers is, no nonsense and gets things done.

Newspaper headline "School Program Assailed as Biased" overlays the B&W photos and Williamsburg headline. Lipsyte narrates parents boycotted and the wall came down.

Pan parents seated at long table, Lipsyte narrates about a wall separating the School Board from the parents due to disagreements on the drop-out rate and bi-lingual support staff.

Another split screen with female hispanic parent and Brother Lally discussing the large drop-out rate. Lally has no answer for it.

Wide shot meeting room-could be school auditorium or gym, people seated on folding chairs, table in front of room facing audience. Lipsyte narrates.

Hispanic woman holding flyers and teen girl walking down the street, approach woman

Same hispanic woman and teen girl handing flyer to older African American woman urging her to vote in District 14.

Hasidic Jewish children playing on the monkey bars at a city park (Brooklyn).

Brother Robert Lally talking with unseen interviewer about his chances of reelection being very good.

Back with host Robert Lipsyte in the studio, he announces his interview with Chancellor NYC Public Schools, Richard R. Green coming up.

INTERVIEW OFF-SITE W/RICHARD GREEN.

Robert Lipsyte 9:13
Tomorrow is the school board elections. And it really seems that among other things, you know, your reformist vision is sort of on trial to it's important to you or are we over playing it?

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 9:26
I think you're over playing my reformist vision. If decentralization is going to work, New Yorkers have to come up to the plate and vote in this election. And so people really value the opportunity for grassroots participation, control of governance, involvement in children's education, their vote, they set out this election. Unfortunately, it will be a message that won't be a very good message for the city.

Robert Lipsyte 9:51
But what's happened to me other places that I've lived, the school board elections have often been more important than the mayor or the council and people really knew at the schools where the future was the most important part of their lives.

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 10:05
Well, frankly, through the 1980s, I think you've seen a variety of changes in urban communities. Surely, we would like to see more people participating and the fact that fewer people participate in a number of elections. I think you're right that historically where children have been, people have said that's important. There may be a message that people don't trust the system any longer won't trust a system won't give the system another chance. I frankly, think that's not good enough, where the late 1980s So instead of being underplaying or overplaying, people just need to get up and go out and vote and participate and make a difference in the lives of children. That's my vision.

Robert Lipsyte 10:45
Yeah, but you have a kind of a rare overview. New Yorkers are very often very provincial, you see how things have worked in other places? Is something intrinsically different here. Do people care less about children? Are they more cynical about how their government works?

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 11:03
Well, New York's a very sophisticated city made up of a great deal of diversity is a constant motion in this city, people still come to this city with long standing hope that the life will be better a New Yorkers that have been here historically that were born here, they have their view of the city when it was great strong at two baseball teams, and championship basketball teams, and expected a lot from the schools. And they are somewhat devastated from time to time, those citizens when they see the schools and the shape that they are given their previous experience. So but I think this constant motion is something we need to always value, and the schools have a strong role to play. And I just don't think citizens if they don't trust the schools can give up on the schools. And if the schools don't make it, the city will not have made it and it won't be because one person made a difference. It'll be because we agreed that this was our time. And at the issues where the city is so important in terms of its children, that to have the view that I just don't care any longer is not simply appropriate.

Robert Lipsyte 12:07
It is it sounds terrific. But it really sounds it kind of for a more middle class, homogeneous school system, not a school system that so wracked with poverty, with so many single parent families, where the parents are so young and uneducated themselves. Or maybe out working and not able to help the kids.

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 12:07
I think you're absolutely right, that there's the middle class will devalue, that that's one of their strong values, education. But I also believe that that's a strong value among all groups, including those who are not, do not have a sufficient economic base. Throughout the history of this country. When school doors were open to people who are different or being closed down. The system could not speak English, they would walk miles and miles, they would make possible the educational opportunity. Those values are still available. And I don't know it's I have not I've yet to meet a parent who says I don't care about my child's education, and don't value it. So I think we need to continue to build upon those strengths

Robert Lipsyte 13:11
And yet, such a small percentage of those parents who pay lip service to that will come out and vote have become involved.

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 13:18
I think there's an accountability issue in New York City about decentralization, which is a 20 year question which we tried to answer with the Serrano Bill, which as you remember, last week, we had a problem when a judge intervened and said that the Serrano Bill was no longer constitutionally appropriate for the moment, although the election is going forward. There is a 20 year history here that we're trying to overcome. I embrace decentralization, I don't believe I can manage the school system to a single office. I think there's a ways in which you embrace people. But if they don't come inside the door, as you just described, it is not going to work.

Robert Lipsyte 13:54
And you're not going to succeed.

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 13:57
No one will succeed. It's not a single issue. We're talking about a city, we're talking about a nearly a million kids. And so it's not just a question of the chancellor, it's a question of the city, the community, the values,

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 18:49
In terms of the teachers who aren't performing successfully, I said, give them a lot of support, a lot of help. And when you judge a system after they've had a lot of support and a lot of help, all things being equal. If they aren't performing, then they can't be in the classrooms in New York City. I don't think that that's really a radical statement myself. And I think the teachers union, those interested in the profession, the quality of life in our schools would agree that inappropriate people should not be around children.

Robert Lipsyte 19:16
And yet you have criticized so so quickly, for not making a snap decision when Barnwell the principal involved in drugs. It was first reported. You said I have sympathy for him. You didn't just throw them out of the school?

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 19:30
That's correct. I don't believe that, simply because Mr. Barnwell was a person who really had the label educator, that somehow he was to be judged differently in in the in the justice system, he was charged. He's in court right now. That process is applicable to every American citizen. If you were listening to the arguments, what is it specifically that they wanted me to do with Mr. Barnwell?

Robert Lipsyte 19:54
They wanted you to make some sort of immediate gesture when

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 19:58
gestures are not what you do to your employees, you don't treat employees with gestures, you provide them with the same kind of constitutional protections that all other citizens are provided with including due process is they would be in court. In terms of his sickness, if he was involved with drugs and crack, he ought to be treated simply like every other individual. He could not be around children. He was suspended from his school, he was removed from his school. And I was hoping that as one human being to another, that he would get the treatment to try to restore his life. I think it's the same thing he provided for recently a television commentator and one of the major news organizations who I have a lot of respect for. And I didn't see how those individuals

Robert Lipsyte 20:36
Who is not dealing with children on a day to day basis.

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 20:38
Right, and Mr. Barnwell has not either that's why he was removed immediately. But people seem to confuse those things. And the question in this society, because drugs are such an important part of whether we're going to be successful, is how are we treat those who need help? Well, we simply isolate them to some island, ignore them. We've had a series of people in the educational community now that had been arrested for allegedly purchasing drugs. They're away from children. Now. We hope that they're getting assistance. They won't be back around children, including Mr. Barnwell, unless there's evidence that supports that that ought to happen. If they violate the contract of the system is highly likely they won't be back in the system, because the contract provides for other alternatives for people that are that are convicted of drug possession. For those that said, we want some symbols, I'm not in the business of providing people in terms of symbolic gestures just to meet to the public hue and cry about an issue.

Robert Lipsyte 21:34
Yeah. Well, New York is a city of hype. And with all due respect, Richard Green has been a bit of a Mr. Beige. I mean, you haven't gone out to the rooftop screaming and yelling as a lot of, you know, political people would be I mean, you've got something to say. And you said it in classrooms. You said it to small groups you said it to parents, but you haven't said it, you know, to the throng

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 22:00
That isn't true. And whether it's been heard. I've had major presentations in the 14 months that I've been here, and the throngs everywhere from the Abney breakfast with the standing room only. That isn't true that I haven't had that message. It's true. And I don'e believe...

Robert Lipsyte 22:15
Well you might be giving the message, but you haven't been getting the kind of distribution.

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 22:20
Well, that's that's a different kind of question. It is true. I don't spend my time on the on the on house tops shouting, because I found in examining New York over the last 20 years, that hasn't been a productive experience in improving the quality of life for the city. And I think it's a great city with much hope. And I'm very honored to be the Chancellor of the New York schools.

Robert Lipsyte 22:39
Yeah. Well, but I mean, you came in your your inaugural has been described as a coronation.Yeah, you scripted it.

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 22:49
I said, No, it was not my discription

Robert Lipsyte 22:51
You didn't script it. It was a magnificent coming. And as certainly your vision, your reformist vision is a very exciting and very important vision.

Richard Green Chancellor NY Public Schools 23:05
Do you know that if we don't educate this generation of students, there won't be a New York City? Do you know that formerly, America was able to look to other parts of the world to help it with its labor force with its citizenship, it note those places no longer have the huge numbers of immigrant population are in new immigrant population will come from the Caribbean. There'll be a Haitian Creole and Latino in South America, Southeast Asia, Asia, if we don't get a handle on the management and development and valuing of life in America, by this group of students in our schools today that we won't have a future. It is something we should be very serious about. And my commitment to you about not being involved with the hype is a seriousness that if we fail with this group, we won't have a future.

Interview concludes. Host Lipsyte announces program and introduces himself. Show end.

Funding by announcer. Charitable orgs overlay The Eleventh Hour graphics.