Leave Me In Charge To Improve NYC Schools, Mayor Argues

NEW YORK CITY HALL — Mayor Bill de Blasio made a push Thursday to keep himself in charge of New York City's massive public school system, arguing that it has improved dramatically with one person at the helm.

State lawmakers must decide whether to renew mayoral control of the schools before the current authorization expires this June. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a three-year extension of the arrangement, which has been in place since 2002.

Flanked by more than 40 people including labor advocates and clergy, de Blasio said three years would satisfy him. But he and some of his supporters argued mayoral control should eventually be made permanent so politics don't stymie educational progress.

"This system has proven itself now for over a decade and a half. Every year we see improvement," de Blasio said at a rally in City Hall. "At a certain point, I think we have to say, how much proof do you need before you recognize that something is working and should be made permanent?"

Joining de Blasio in his push were more than 100 business leaders who issued an open letter Thursday calling for a multi-year extension of mayoral control. Labor and faith leaders have reportedly signed onto their own letters, arguing the system is putting students on the path to success.

The improvements made under mayoral control has given the business community new confidence in the city's schools and the students they produce, said Kathryn Wylde, the president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, the group that released the business leaders' letter.

"We understood the petty politics that drove education and distracted from the primary mission of caring for children, and that really discouraged employers from what they could expect from the school system," Wylde said. "That has fundamentally changed since 2002."

That was the year that then-mayor Michael Bloomberg assumed control of the city's schools in a major shift from the previous system of a Board of Education and local community school boards.

The change made things better for students and for parents, who are empowered to raise concerns because there's a clear line of accountability to the mayor, de Blasio argued.

The city's graduation rates had "flatlined" at around 50 percent before mayoral control, according to Dennis M. Walcott, who served as a deputy mayor and schools chancellor under Bloomberg. Last year it rose to about 76 percent, and de Blasio said it will surpass the national average of 84 percent in the coming years.

Other improvements, such universal pre-kindergarten and large number of students taking Advanced Placement classes, have only been possible because of mayoral control, de Blasio said.

"We owe it to our students, our families, to continue to work as hard as we can every day, with a clear agenda driven by our belief that every student deserves the opportunity to live up to their full potential, and mayoral control is how we get that done," schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said.

Getting mayoral control renewed won't be as arduous this year as it was in 2017, when a two-year extension was passed reportedly after pushback from Republicans in the state Senate.

Democrats now control that chamber. But some lawmakers want more accountability in and changes to the current system, according to news reports. The Senate's New York City Education Committee will hold a hearing next week on mayoral control and school governance, Sen. John Liu's office announced Thursday.

"Schools are the most important priority of state and local government, and how they are governed and operated are of the highest public interest," Liu, a Queens Democrat who chairs the committee, said in a statement Thursday. "Our hearing seeks to engage all stakeholders in the city to inform the way forward, including any changes that should be enacted."

De Blasio said the city is working with lawmakers to address concerns about parents' voices being heard. But any moves to do so must maintain "the integrity of mayoral control," he said.

"We’re all looking for a way to continue what’s working and amplify the voices of parents, but we have to do it in a way that protects the core meaning of mayoral control," the mayor said.