What is mayoral control
Mayoral Control is a system of school governance that gives power to the Mayor to run NYC Public Schools. Mayoral Control is a state policy that is instituted by New York State legislators.
Governor Hochul and the state legislature have the power to extend or end mayoral control.
Since 2002 New York State has opted to extend mayoral control. 22 Years Is Too Long!
How Mayoral Control Works: The Mayor appoints a Chancellor AND a majority of the Board of Education members, known as the Panel for Educational Policy.
This is not a democratically run system.
Why This Issue Matters: Most school systems in the United States are run by democratically elected school boards.
Mayoral Control keeps school community stakeholders disempowered.
We believe democracy should be restored to our schools by giving community stakeholders the power.
What Does Mayoral Control Look like?
Mayoral control is a top down power structure.
This is not what democracy looks like.
What is the Impact of Mayoral Control?
The harmful closing of schools and the forced relocation of school communities
Charter school expansion
Expensive contracts and vendors that waste the school budget and do not directly impact schools
Failure to react to emergencies like COVID-19 and climate emergencies
Educational policies that change with every mayor
Failure to support parent participation in the system
Lack of accountability for school leadership
Massive budget cuts that impact early childhood education, arts education, special education programs, and more
Widening achievement gaps
The exacerbation of the school to prison pipeline by divesting in emotional and mental health supports(guidance counselors and social workers) and rerouted to increased policing of students
The withholding of millions of dollars in Federal and State funding
WE have the POWER to END Mayoral Control in June 2024.