Is it important for a City Councilmember to send their kids to public school?

The Brooklyn Paper asked Ken:Do you (or did you) send your children to public school? Regardless of the answer, do you think it’s important for a member of the City Council who has school-age children to send his or her kids to public school and why?

“I have lived in our community for almost 40 years, the last 33 with my partner Joe. We do not have children, but if we did, we would send them to public school. Public schools are the backbone of Brooklyn, and as leaders we must be fully invested in our communities. I am a graduate of our city’s public schools, and I know the importance of a public school system that meets the needs of students and parents. The mayor is cutting education dollars from the City budget. He didn’t go to school here – I did, and I care. Education is an investment that pays for itself many times over. When elected I will work to reduce class sizes by building new schools, focus on classes that highlight the arts and critical thinking, and make sure that parents have a real voice in their children’s education.