GOVERNING THE SCHOOL SYSTEM
The looming expiration of the law giving the mayor control of the New York City school system has prompted an unprecedented discussion on how that system, the largest in the nation, should be run. To add to the debate, Gotham Gazette offers a number of perspectives:
Debating Mayoral Control
What has worked and what hasn't? How could it be improved? A panel of experts weighs in.
Making Joel Klein Behave
by Assemblymember Alan Maisel
The Department of Education promises it will improve, but it continues to shut out parents and others, according to this former assistant principal and current member of the state Assembly. He offers suggestions for how the department could change its ways.
In Charge and Unaccountable
by Councilmember Robert Jackson
The current system has shut out debate and dialogue, leaving the mayor and chancellor answerable to no one as they run a $18 billion department, contends the chairman of the City Council Education Committee.
The Department of Education's Power Grip
by Udi Ofer
Under the current system, the schools resemble a bunker where students' rights can be violated, the advocacy director for the New York Civil Liberties Union writes. The group proposes measures to promote more transparency and involvement.
Beyond Governance -- Creating a Constitution for City Schools
by Josh Karan
Governance issues are important but only go so far, according to this member of the Parents Commission on School Governance. To achieve excellence, he says, we need a constitution for out city's schools.
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Also, for reporting on the issues in the debate over mayoral control, see these articles from Gotham Gazette:
The Mayor's High Stake test, including a rundown on the various key reports on school governance
Choosing Side in the Fight Over Schools
A Battle Brews Over Who Controls the Schools
The vote in Albany deciding whether or not to reauthorize the law giving the mayor control of New York City's public schools is approaching quickly. A vociferous effort by defenders of the old system has recently dampened the support for keeping the power in the mayor's hands.
Opponents of reauthorization -- including the teachers' union and many Bloomberg administration critics -- have won the most ground with their argument that mayoral control is undemocratic. But there is a difference between a democratic political system and a democratically run bureaucracy. New Yorkers shouldn't let such arguments persuade them to return to the bad old days, when no one was responsible for the city's schools.
The Bad Old Days
The old system of an appointed, unaccountable Board of Education bred a culture of inaction and crippled Gotham's schools. Though opponents of reauthorization say that they don't want to go back to that exact system, for all practical purposes their proposed "tweaks" to the law would do that.
Mayoral control broke the stagnation produced by an unaccountable system. While some may still disagree with Mayor Michael Bloomberg's specific reforms, there is little doubt that mayoral control has been essential in moving education reforms forward.
Despite the allegations of those opposed to reauthorization of the current law, there is nothing inherently undemocratic about the mayor controlling a large city bureaucracy like the school system. After all, the mayor controls other city services -- police, fire, sanitation and others -- with little complaint that his power is dictatorial. Of course, public schools have a uniquely democratic purpose in providing children with the knowledge they need to be effective and productive citizens. But that hardly means that day-to-day school operations must be governed democratically.
As in other policy areas, democracy's role in education is to put in place representatives who reflect the will of the people and hold those policymakers accountable for their cumulative decisions. Relying on such democratic processes to decide each individual policy is impractical and only leads to the stagnation and the poor results of Gotham's past.
The Parents' Part
Mayoral control does nothing to deny parents their essential role in education. Parents are in the best position to know what is best for their individual child. But, as with other government agencies on which we rely, the mayor is in the best position to make decisions that affect the broader education system.
That said, parents and communities do have a large stake in schools, and they should be consulted about important policies. But the mayor couldn't avoid communicating with them even if he wanted to. Those opposed to his school policies aren't exactly silent. Dissenting voices have spoken out against just about every policy the Bloomberg administration has pursued. While the mayor has the final word, he pays a political price when he goes against the true will of the people, and doing so takes a toll not only at the voting booth but in his ability to govern. Just because those opposed to recent reforms often have not gotten their way does not mean that they did not participate in the governing process.
Gotham's $18 billion school system, which operates more than 1,400 public schools, is a complex bureaucracy that requires a decision-making entity -- namely, the mayor. Mayoral control should be renewed.
Marcus Winters is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
