Mayoral Control Of Schools | The New York Observer

Who Runs the Senate? (July 17 Edition)

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:05:00 -0400

ALBANY—So now that the Senate is nominallly a functioning body, who's running it? It's not an easy question to answer. "It's not a clear, bipartisan operating agreement, but it's not as though the Democrats have established clear control over the Legislature again and are consistently moving their agenda," Justin Phillips, a political science professor at Columbia University who researches state government, just told me by phone. "The Democrats are nominally back in charge, but until we...

Bloomberg Blasts Senate Over Schools Bill

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:19:00 -0400

ALBANY—Here's the final roll call on State Senator Kevin Parker's "better schools act," which failed last night by a margin of 40-15. Acting on the bill was basically a shot at Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Here's what Bloomberg had to say this morning on his weekly radio show on WOR: There were 15 people last night who voted for a bill which would end all of the progress that we've made in the schools in terms of...

Obscene Gesture: Senate Dems Take Up Anti-Mayoral Control Bill

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:14:00 -0400

ALBANY—Not only have Democrats in the State Senate turned their back on Michael Bloomberg's vision of school governance legislation, they're mooning him. Senators will act on a bill—called the "Better Schools Act"—that is stridently opposed by the mayor because it dilutes his influence over the school system by eliminating his ability to appoint a majority of the Panel for Educational Policy and giving members a fixed two-year term. It also has other mechanisms for increasing...

In the Chaos, Senate Dems May See One Last Opportunity to Wrest Schools From the Mayor

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:14:00 -0400

ALBANY—As both sides of the State Senate leadership struggle inch closer to an operating agreement, Democrats are positioning themselves to take one last crack at diluting mayoral control of city schools. Speaking to reporters after an extraordinary session that lasted just over three minutes, Senators Malcolm Smith and John Sampson, the leaders of the Democratic conference, insisted that they did not want to work out the problems and convene in a regular legislative session, which...

Source: Paterson Will Call Special Session by Wednesday

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:32:00 -0400

ALBANY—David Paterson will call a special session to deal with "critical bills" if there is no deal reached in the battle over State Senate leadership by Wednesday, an administration official just told me. There's a list of 42 items, as the Daily News reported, which includes lots of local extenders, authorizations for bonding, the Tier V pension plan, a Power for Jobs extender and the Assembly's school control bill. It does not include legislation authorizing...

Silver to Senate on Mayoral Control: No Tinkering, Please

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:45:00 -0400

ALBANY—There are still murmurings by opponents of mayoral school control that, even with the State Assembly's solid majority vote for the legislation, they will try to dilute the law that is eventually enacted. But Speaker Sheldon Silver has different ideas. State Senator Bill Perkins, an opponent of mayoral control, told me Wednesday night, "We're going to come up with a bill that will represent our vision of what school governance should be." He said there should...

Senate Republicans Will Pass the Assembly's Mayoral Control Bill, If They Can

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:27:00 -0400

ALBANY—Putting politics aside for a moment, the Senate mess may have a tangible impact on the final shape of the bill reauthorizing mayoral control of schools. Newly named Democratic conference leader John Sampson is, as the Post noted this morning, a "foe" of the system and is one of the co-sponsors of a bill that would have diluted the mayor's power over the Panel for Educational Policy. The Assembly had been waiting for the State Senate...

The Assembly Acts on School Control, On Its Own

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:22:00 -0400

ALBANY—After some resistance last month, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan presented a plan for New York City school governance that still retains the key elements of mayoral control. Silver's proposal would continue to allow the mayor to appoint the majority of the Panel for Educational Policy, and have members serve "at will"--that is, without fixed terms. It also would provide for more auditing of schools spending in the city, members briefed on...

Approaching the End of Session, Paterson Aims Everywhere

Fri, 29 May 2009 10:39:00 -0400

ALBANY—Lawmakers are scheduled to meet in Albany for 13 more days before the close of this year's legislative session, and David Paterson is hoping to do it all. "I would say that the one that we're here to discuss today would be a priority," Paterson said Tuesday, announcing a restructuring of ethics oversight, when asked for his end-of-session list. "The spending cap would be a priority. The property tax cap would be a priority. Mandate...

Silver Presents His Mayoral Control Plan

Wed, 27 May 2009 08:23:00 -0400

ALBANY—Assembly Democrats met behind closed doors for over three hours last night, where Speaker Sheldon Silver presented a plan for school governance. "It basically preserves mayoral control, with tweaks," Assemblyman Michael Benjamin said afterward. The plan would allow the mayor to continue to appoint the majority of he Panel for Educational Policy. Silver's plan also called for empowering superintendents and improving oversight of the Department of Education. This proposal, which the Post reported was presented by Assemblywoman...

Savino Sponsors a Mayoral Control Bill to Keep Malcolm Smith From Being 'Coerced'

Thu, 21 May 2009 13:50:00 -0400

ALBANY—Diane Savino is one of eight state senators sponsoring a bill to restructure school governance and dilute the mayor's power. But she has been quoted saying she supports the mayor appointing a majority of seats on the Panel for Educational Policy, which is not favored by opponents of mayoral control of schools, and which would be undone by the current bill. I called Savino to clarify. "In the bill that we've introduced, there's an expansion of...

The Anti-Mayoral Control Bill Goes Live

Wed, 20 May 2009 14:16:00 -0400

ALBANY—Lobbyists against mayoral control now have a bill live in both houses, with several legislators signing on. The measure, called the "Better Schools Act," would remove the mayor's ability to appoint the majority of the Panel for Educational Policy, considered a central issue on school control, as well as allowing the New York City Independent Budget Office to audit and evaluate the "financial investments and academic achievement" in public schools. It also would train parents...

Smith's Nuclear Option on Mayoral Control: Skirting the Gang by Joining With Republicans

Tue, 19 May 2009 10:13:00 -0400

ALBANY—Even though David Paterson and legislative leaders agree with the central tenet of mayoral control of schools, it looks like holdouts in the State Senate will once again try to bring the wheels of government to a standstill, and may very well succeed in doing so. It's the M.T.A. bailout all over again, with one key difference: Republicans in the chamber are on the record agreeing with Majority Leader Malcolm Smith. Which means that if...

Lancman Predicts More Rough Going for Bloomberg's Schools Agenda

Fri, 08 May 2009 14:58:00 -0400

ALBANY—As battle lines get drawn in the debate over mayoral control of public schools, Assemblyman Rory Lancman is advancing a bill that would treat the city's Department of Education like a city agency. As it currently exists, Lancman said, the department is "very similar to a public authority," and his bill would require the oversight mandated under the city charter for things like procurement contracts. While the bill's memo states explicitly that "this law does...