Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz has blasted the NYC Department of Education for its plan to issue cell phones to 1200 parent coordinators throughout the City.

Parent Coordinators have been appointed in each of the City’s public schools as part of Chancellor Klein’s education reform. According to Dinowitz, "The City is spending $45 million for the salaries of parent coordinators, precious funds that could otherwise go into the classroom. Each coordinator will be paid up to $39,000, plus benefits. In addition, the Department of Education is spending money on office furniture, computers, and supplies for the offices of the coordinators. While there undoubtedly will be many good people holding these jobs, it certainly will be a huge cost. Now they will get a cell phone. That’s an abuse waiting to happen. Who is going to monitor these bills? I urge that the Department of Education put every dollar possible into the classroom before it spends money on luxuries.

"If the reasoning for these expensive cell phones is to enhance the ability of the 1200 coordinators to do their jobs, then the logical next step is to give them cars and drivers to make it even easier to serve the parents and communicate and work with them."