Mayor Eric Adams was expected to rally Monday morning to push state lawmakers to renew the policy, which gives City Hall the power to appoint the schools chancellor and most members of the decision-making Panel for Educational Policy. City Limits wants to hear from residents on what they think should be done.
Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks visit Concourse Village Elementary School in The Bronx on Jan. 3, 2022.
On Monday morning, Mayor Eric Adams is expected to rally on the steps of City Hall, calling for state lawmakers in Albany to extend mayoral control of New York City schools for another four years.
New York City’s school system—the largest in the nation—has operated under mayoral control for two decades, granting the mayor the power to appoint and fire the schools chancellor as well as nine of the 15 members of the city’s Panel for Educational Policy (PEP), which approves major education decisions around school utilization and funding. Prior to the current system in 2002, those decisions fell to a seven-member Board of Education and 32 elected school boards across the city, a setup that Mayor Adams has described as “filled with patronage, corruption, infighting, failing our students.”
State legislators—who declined to include a renewal of mayoral control in the state budget approved last month, despite a push from Adams to do so—have until the end of June before the current policy expires. They can choose to extend mayoral control again (and if so, must decide for how long) or they can opt to reform the system, or replace it with something else.
City Limits has been speaking to parents, families, educators and other stakeholders in recent months about what they think should happen. We want to hear from you: Should mayor control be extended in its current form, and if so, why? If not, why, and what changes would you like to see the system incorporate instead?
Weigh in by completing the Google Form survey here, or by emailing reporting Julian Roberts-Grmela at julian.roberts-grmela06@journalism.cuny.edu. You can read more of our reporting on the issue at the link below.
READ MORE: To Renew or Rebuild? Albany Considers Alternatives to Mayoral Control of NYC Schools
One thought on “You Tell Us: Should Albany Extend Mayoral Control of NYC Schools?”
We need State oversight over local control.
The Kings County Democratic Committee has further embedded itself in city administration in the personage of mayoral Chief of Staff Frank Carone . He is the de facto manager of the political club with the exit(?) of Frank Seddio. There are too many lucrative contracts to distribute to party faithful, work partners, family, friends and their relatives that need ethical objective management by others than in the hands of Adams’ connection with Carone.
Meanwhile, Eric Adams is skirting the fringes of political ethics with appointments smacking of cronyism, favoritism and nepotism amongst others not readily visible. The opportunities for further corrupt political shenanigans is readily available in awarding high value contracts to poorly vetted firms with the potential of paybacks. This is easily manhandled in the education arena of instructional materials, maintenance and construction, equipment and supplies for classrooms, etc. and the list goes on.
We need clear view of and separation of politics and governance. While the entry into government enhances the quality of life for the participant there is no net gain for the general public. Therefore, we need ultimate control by a higher ethical authority than the political mayor and entourage. And New York State is the entity
Add to the Panel for Education Policy two members from each of the five boroughs’ New York City Department of Education Community Education Councils for public input and voting on policy and staffing. These parents leaders groups together send ten parent representatives and will serve for parent input and a leash on mayoral overreach and sweetheart kickbacks or payoffs. And set up an education oversight panel specifically to double check educational budget spending down to the lowest priced items bought in quantity, etc. together with the Comptroller and Public Advocate to combat the corrupt political club directed municipal government mishandling public funds.