The year 1988 was difficult for New York City government. The Edward Koch administration was still haunted by a series of scandals that had been exposed a few years earlier. Names such as Donald R. Manes, Stanley Friedman, and Bess Myerson had been powerful in city politics but were now sullied by accusations of corruption. A new cynicism emerged as ever-jaded New Yorkers began to lose faith in their government. Then, another maelstrom of scandal broke when a principal in the Bronx was arrested on drug charges.
As the story of that principal came to light, questions were asked about the school system in which he served. Within days, it became apparent that the problem with this principal was not an isolated matter but, rather, the symptom of a far more invasive disease--political corruption--that was ravaging the entire school system. This chapter recounts the story of the New York City school system corruption scandal that unfolded in 1988. Beginning with a history of the school system, it covers the major corruption cases that involved community school boards.
The ethnic and racial complexion of New York City began to change noticeably during the decade of the 1960s. The black and Hispanic populations expanded at the same time that whites fled to the suburbs. Minority leaders asserted that the government of the city was not responsive to the needs of its constituents. Soon, the rallying cry was "community control of politics"; the immediate goal was to wrest control of services from the powerful white bureaucrats through the decentralization of government. According to David Rogers, the two major goals of the decentralization movement were, first, to make the bureaucracies more responsive to the needs of minorities and, second, to create employment opportunities for minorities in city government...........
