GCSP Involved in Local School Board Elections
Diocesan Press Service. February 15, 1973 [73045]
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Episcopal Church's General Convention Special Program (GCSP) has announced that it has decided to respond to a city-wide request for training resources to prepare candidates for the forth-coming community school board elections in New York City.
Leon E. Modeste, director of GCSP, stated, "After careful analysis, the concept of 'decentralization' is still valid -- but it is the implementation that has caused the difficulty. The carrying out of a concept by people who had little training or understanding of duties, powers and their authority as policy makers, placed them at the mercy of the bureaucrats. "
Modeste speaks from experience, as he is a former member and chairman of Local Board # 13.
Modeste contends that the GCSP is about the business of self-determination and empowerment and sees such an involvement in community school board elections as consistent with the goals of the program.
According to Modeste, one of the goals of GCSP, which was established by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 1967, is to help the poor and disenfranchised gain social, political and economic power in order to have an effective voice and visible presence in the decisions that affect their own lives.
In an effort to develop effectively this plan, GCSP has already begun working with numerous organizations throughout New York City.