Assembly winning praise for NYC school governance bill
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 3:54 pm by Robert Lowry
All three major dailies in New York City — the Times, Post, and Daily News have now run editorials praising the City school governance bill advanced by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Education Committee Chair Catherine Nolan.
The latter two publications have sometimes been harsh critics of the Speaker. But the Post titles its editorial, “A Ray of Hope,” and the Daily News writes, “Silver delivers big time on school-governance plan.”
The legislation is necessary because the 2002 law establishing “mayoral control” over New York City’s school system is due to expire on June 30th.
As with everything else, the fate of this issue in the State Senate is impossible to foretell.
The new bill would continue the Mayor’s authority to appoint the Chancellor and a majority of the “Panel on Education Policy,” the closest thing the City has to a school board. It would also continue the Mayor’s authority to remove and replace his appointees on the Panel.
The bill also attempts to resurrect a role for community school district superintendents in the City, to give parents (and politicians) a venue to pursue concerns above the level of building principal, without having to become ensnarled in the system’s central offices.
Prior to a reorganization implemented in the wake of the 2002 law which substantially restructured their roles, these officials were members of the Council.
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June 18th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
It is so sad to see that the citizens of NY have allowed Albany to remove their ability to vote on a school board. As our rights continue to erode we must be thankful for Mayor Mike’s allknowing skills. I could NEVER support a non-education Chancellor. The concept of an attorney running the department exceeds the word ludricious. I ahve worked closely with Attorney’s they are not trained to be eductaors nor administrators nor Chancellors. I don’t care what is said about the success of the outcoems for childre. Chekc carefully you will see it is the professional edeuctaors around the Chancellor that is helping to caus ethe change. Bad govenement. So, yes you can refute the results becasue its not the Chancellor’s leadership but the staff of professional eductaors that is helping to creat this.