By Bill Forry
Managing Editor

It's not much of a surprise to learn - as we did today - that Chuck Turner's been stripped of his chairmanship of the City Council Committee on Education. What's surprising is that Felix Arroyo is not taking his place.

In a year when the council is likely to take up, at the very least, a modest tinkering of the much-maligned school assignment plan, the council's education committee is likely to play a key role in scrutinizing the reforms. And, as of this week - although Turner, Arroyo and Charles Yancey will sit on the committee - none will be steering the ship. That will be left to West Roxbury's John Tobin and Dorchester's Maureen Feeney - both advocates for a return to "neighborhood schools," at least in theory.

That's a problem, according to Turner - an avowed foe of an "end to busing," as he puts it - because well over 80 percent of the city's public schoolkids are children of color.

Turner interprets his demotion by Council Prez Mike Flaherty to be more than just a "you-had-it-comin'" swipe at a political foe; Turner says it's part of a conspiracy to push neighborhood schools on his constituents.

"From my perspective it goes beyond the question of whether I am the chair of a council committee," Turner says. "The depth of my concern rises from the fact that President Flaherty has appointed two people who are not racially reflective of the students in the system. And both strongly support the position of neighborhood schools, which would be discriminatory on its face. And so to me it is an insult to the people of color throughout the city to not have at least one person of color as a chair."

Fair enough. But what's most interesting about this council shake-up is not who is chairing the education committee- Feeney and Tobin are more than up to the challenge and worthy of the job- but who isn't. Of all the city councillors, Felix Arroyo is without a doubt the one most familiar with the Boston Public School system, having served for several years as chairman of the appointed school committee. Like Turner, Arroyo is skeptical about the "neighborhood school" model. But Arroyo is less strident in his opposition and, as a citywide councillor, more open to reform-minded people who think a "fix it, don't nix it" approach to the assignment plan is in order. Morever, Arroyo was endorsed by Flaherty last fall, and while Arroyo went up against Flaherty for the presidency earlier this month, it was more of a symbolic gesture than a storming of the Iannella Chamber.

So why isn't Arroyo at least co-chairing Education in what is likely to be a stormy, racially charged year? Apparently, it's because Arroyo himself took himself out of the game.

"My only condition to the president (about chairmanships) was that I would not serve as the chairman of any committee that any of my colleagues is in, if they want to retain it," Arroyo told the Reporter on Wednesday. "There is no reason that I can think of that is valid enough not to re-appoint Councillor Turner to chair the education committee."

Now, c'mon! Even Chuck Turner knew that he had a one-in-a-million chance of keeping that chair after 12 months spent kicking the crap out of Flaherty at every opportunity. The councillor from Roxbury, you no doubt recall, essentially called Flaherty a racist last summer in the heat of a fight over the council's Rule 19, which governs who can debate what and when. It also happened to be a well-timed moment to blast Flaherty for supporting Ego Ezedi over Yancey in District Four. There's no loved lost between Flaherty and Turner and anyone who didn't see this one coming had a little too much fun at the Pat's parade.

For Turner's part, he says he would have been far happier to see Arroyo take his place at Education than to lose a minority voice at the helm.

"Felix has a long history of dealing with education and has experience that neither of the current chairs have. He would be an appropriate chair or vice chair," says Turner.

Last year, Arroyo was offered the education committee and turned it down, but did so in deference to his pal Turner, who held onto the committee chair with Flaherty's nod. This time, both lose out, and - to some extent - so does their entire constituency, many of whom are genuinely worried about losing leverage on the school issue.

People who want neighborhood schools are also set back by this turn of events. Whether you're for "neighborhood schools" or not, one thing's certain: It will never happen in this town unless the vast black and Latino majority who use the schools now are comfortable with the proposed change. To think that any reform can happen in this department without the minority leadership of the town at the table in a meaningful way are kidding themselves. An Education committee with both Maureen Feeney and Arroyo at the helm, for example, would have much more clout in the community of color- which is, after all, the core of the public school population.

Michael Flaherty may or may not get bludgeoned for the turnover at the top of the education committee, even though all three councillors of color have a seat on it. But he should not get smeared for a lack of effort. From all appearances, Flaherty did dangle the education chair to Felix, but Felix chose to protect his allegiance to Turner rather than take the bold step to chair the committee. That's too bad. This would have been a good time for Councillor Arroyo to step up as a citywide councillor and get out in front of this pivotal issue. It's fine for Chuck Turner, an entrenched district councilman, to sabre-rattle. In fact, it serves a purpose.

But Felix Arroyo needs to take a hard look at what this decision means for the progressive voting bloc that rallied to his side last year. The numbers he piled up in November earned him a right - an obligation, even - to put aside his parochial allegiances when needed to serve the greater good. This was one of those times and, sadly, the opportunity has now passed him by.

Instead, what we'll have this year, it's a safe bet, is further polarization, race-baiting, and back-biting.

Chuck Turner summed it up in his analysis of the Education committee change-over: "The thought that came to my mind is that the legacy of Louise Day Hicks is very much alive and well in Boston."

Apparently, it is.