Bronx slot on school board filled day before monthly meeting

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.’s office announced today that it has appointed Wilfredo Pagan to the Panel for Education Policy, just in time to represent the borough at tomorrow’s meeting.

Pagan, a lifelong Bronx resident, went to city schools himself and has sent six children to them. The parent association president at P.S. 50, he has belonged to the Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council and the Citywide Council on High Schools. He said he has also attended past PEP meetings in his capacity as an involved public school parent.

“It’s a new experience as far as the role, but as far as how the Department of Education operates in certain areas, I have good experience with it,” Pagan said.

He is replacing Monica Major, who has served on the panel since October 2010 and has recently been tapped as Diaz’s director of education and youth services.

Major was part of a bloc of borough presidents’ appointees who regularly voted against city proposals. Pagan said he was not ready to commit to that stance and would not say how he planned vote tomorrow when controversial issues, such as charter school co-locations and school expansions, are on the table. But he told me the three most pressing issues he sees in education right now are communication, organization, and school closures.

“What I represent is the Bronx Borough President’s office and what I represent is a vision: A vision of not wanting to have any more school closings, of being able to educate every child, of every child having a voice and every community having a voice,” Pagan said.

BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ NAMES WILFREDO PAGAN TO PANEL FOR EDUCATIONAL POLICY Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. today announced that Wilfredo Pagan has been appointed as the borough’s representative to the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP), which holds approval power over the actions of the New York City Department of Education. “Wilfredo Pagan is a strong advocate for the children of the Bronx, and he will make us proud in his new role on the PEP. I look forward to working with Mr. Pagan to advance a strong agenda on education for the parents, children and families of the Bronx and the entire City,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “Every child has a voice, and I am deeply honored to be able to represent that voice on behalf of parents, families and the Bronx community. I am thankful to Borough President Diaz for this opportunity, and I look forward to working with his office on the critical education issues that face our borough and our City,” said Wilfredo Pagan. Pagan, a resident of West Farms, was born on September 14, 1971, in the Bronx, where he has resided his entire life.  He is the youngest of seven siblings, all of whom have graduated from the New York City public school system.  He is the father of six children—four girls and two boys—each of whom have also attended New York City public schools.  His three youngest are currently enrolled in the very school he has volunteered in for the last six years, P.S. 50/The Clara Barton Elementary School, also located in West Farms. As the President of the parents’ association at P.S. 50 and president of the District 12 President’s Council, Mr. Pagan has represented the parent community in different educational forums that range from Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Councils, public educational hearings, the Citywide Council on High Schools, educational space planning meetings and other activities. Pagan replaces Monica Major, who currently serves as Borough President Diaz’s director of education and youth policy.