How anger over school cuts fuels debate over mayoral control

Good morning. It's Tuesday. Today we'll look at whether Mayor Eric Adams should retain control of the New York City public school system.

Mayor Eric Adams' control of New York City's school system is up for renewal in June. The state Legislature, which will decide whether or not to expand mayoral primacy over the nation's largest public school system, appears open to overhauling a model of school governance established two decades ago in New York was introduced and has since become entrenched. Whether mayoral control has improved the system has been the subject of much debate since.

I asked Troy Closson, who provides education for the Metro desk, about the future of mayoral control.

Mayoral control of the schools poses political risks for Adams, as it did for his predecessors: He can use his role to put education high on the city's agenda, but he probably can't improve test scores, right?

No, but let's look at it more broadly.

One reason this moment feels different is that Adams is the third mayor to have served as mayor.

There are parents and educators who believe it is time to take stock. They are well aware that some cities have escaped the mayor's control. Chicago is currently working on that.

That's made some families in New York say what they might not have said a few years ago: that it might be possible to have a different model here.

Mayor Adams is doing everything he can to maintain control. He also said this is the first time a black mayor and a black chancellor have held power and he thinks it's important to keep that in mind.

Does the criticism of Adams' administration influence what parents say?

Certainly from the parents' side.

The decision makers in Albany will likely look at the full two decades that New York has had this system and evaluate where it has worked and what needs to be improved.

How close are Adams and David Banks, the school's chancellor?

The mayor and chancellor are longtime family friends, so when Banks stepped into this role he was in a different position than some other recent chancellors.

Reflecting on Adams' first two years as president, the mayor said dyslexia should be a priority, along with improving reading for Black and Latino children, and that's what the chancellor has focused on.

That speaks to the power the mayor has to have complete say over the selection of the chancellor.

Banks was a New York educator before mayoral control, and he has argued that after seeing the problems with the previous system, mayoral control is the better model.

He has also tried to frame current frustrations with the mayoralty as something to do with other governments. Closing schools when Michael Bloomberg was mayor has come up in conversation with frustrated parents and teachers, but there is also deep anger over Adams' cuts to education.

Where does the mayor's control stack up against the state legislature?

There hasn't been a groundswell of lawmakers who seem interested in taking away control from the mayor and moving to a completely different system, but many lawmakers seem willing to talk about whether adjustments are needed.

When Adams received the two-year mayoral extension in 2022, which is now set to expire, it was tied to a new class size law. The city has been somewhat resistant to the idea of ​​mandatory cuts, which I think frustrates some lawmakers.

It's also worth noting that when Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio were in City Hall, the teachers union never fully inserted itself into the debate over mayoral control. Michael Mulgrew, the head of the union, was in Albany last week and told lawmakers he was not opposed to mayoral control. But he pointed to places like Boston and Cleveland, where checks and balances exist. Mulgrew essentially said that's where he wants to go.

What does the union say?

Mulgrew argues that the mayor should not be allowed to choose a majority on the Education Policy Panel, which votes on issues such as school funding and mergers.

He told lawmakers that limiting the mayor's power wouldn't have stopped initiatives like universal preschool or the chancellor's plan to overhaul the way reading is taught — but it could have stopped the mayor from unilaterally cutting spending education, as Adams did. The union's involvement will be interesting to see. Mulgrew's proposal would be a great loss for Adams.

How angry are parents?

It is always difficult to gauge the mood of the entire system.

But a large group of parents believed that education rollbacks and budget cuts were the biggest determinants of Adams' first year in office. That's been brought up again and again in recent public hearings, with hundreds of parents speaking out against mayoral control.

This is also a difficult moment for the system. Enrollment fell during the pandemic and the system faces tough questions about budgets and space in school buildings. That's why, as families look ahead, they want to have a say in what happens.

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METROPOLITAN diary

Kitchen windows

Dear Diary:

I often get up early for a 6:30 a.m. gym class. I turn on the light in my kitchen, where the window looks out onto the kitchen windows in the building next door.

As I pour coffee into my thermos, I see the man who lives right across from me in his kitchen. He also makes coffee.

We turn off the lights, go out the door, take the elevator down and walk out onto the street at the same time. He has two terriers. We both say 'hello'.

“Looks like you're back in town these days,” he said one morning last fall.

Yes, I responded. We had spent most of the summer on Long Island, but were back for the winter.

I told him he had new neighbors downstairs with two young children. (I can see into that kitchen too.)

Yes, he said, they are really nice. The building has had a lot of turnover with new families, he added.

Ours too, I said.

We got to the corner, wished each other a good day and I turned right towards the gym.

We've lived across the yard from each other for fifteen years, and we still haven't exchanged names.

– Erica True

Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Send your entries here And read more Metropolitan Diary here.