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State education officials released a long-awaited report Tuesday on New York City's polarized school governance structure, compiling months of public testimony and decades of city history into a nearly 300-page document.
In the report, state officials did not directly argue for or against Mayor Eric Adams' expansion of control of the city's schools, instead outlining a series of broad findings and recommendations from the public.
These findings could have major implications for Albany's ongoing negotiations over mayoral powers. The report was released as part of a deal the state Legislature struck in 2022 that would extend Adams' control for two years while giving Albany time to evaluate the effectiveness of the long-standing system. It was something.
Since September, the state Department of Education has been working with the New York State College of Law to conduct a study of school governance models. The department also held a series of public hearings in five boroughs seeking public input. The results of both efforts were included in the report.
At a press conference hours before the report was released, Adams questioned the approach taken by the state Department of Education. He took particular issue with the involvement of New York State Law School, suggesting the school was biased against him because of an incident last year in which a graduating student turned away from him during a commencement speech.
“So my concern is, isn't this more of a political thing?” Adams said. “Or is the problem the way we have been doing things and what the Prime Minister thinks?” [David] Did the bank do it? ”
He also questioned whether the testimony at the hearing truly reflected a city as large as New York.
In response to the mayor's comments, state Department of Education spokesperson JP O'Hare said, “We believe the report tells the whole story.”
“This report presents a thoroughly researched school governance model for New York City and other regions that faithfully meets the requirements of the law,” he said. “As intended by the Legislature, this report provides thoughtful information and testimony regarding the Mayor's management of schools.”
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Later that day, after the report was released, Department of Education First Deputy Secretary Dan Weisberg said the report did not adequately highlight the city's progress in closing the achievement gap compared to the rest of the state. “It's a shame'' and “a missed opportunity.'' Mayor's reign.
Some of the state's report's key findings include:
New York City model gives mayor more power, according to reports
The mayoral control system, which centralizes authority over the city's schools in the hands of the mayor, has been periodically extended since 2002. This system gives the mayor the power to select school principals and appoint a majority of the members of the city's education policy committee. or PEP, a city commission that votes on major policy proposals and contracts.
The state report says the model is different from most others in the country.
Nationally, the vast majority of public schools are governed by elected school boards or superintendents rather than mayor-appointed school boards or superintendents. But the report says that among cities with similar school governance structures, New York City's model gives the mayor more power.
In other U.S. cities with mayor-managed systems, candidates are sometimes chosen from a list of names specified by an appointing committee or required to be approved by the city council. The report examines school governance structures in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Yonkers, finding that the New York City model gives the mayor the most power, followed by the Yonkers system. It turns out that it continues.
Call for reform of public testimony
Over the past two decades, mayoral control has faced both fierce critics and ardent defenders.
In the report, state officials said the majority of speakers at the public hearing called for reform of the current system and felt their voices were not heard or excluded under the current school governance structure. He pointed out that he had expressed that he felt that way. Additionally, speakers felt that centralizing power in the hands of mayors and premiers would make a “one-size-fits-all” approach inappropriate for the nation's largest school system.
Many people pointed to the PEP, arguing that the disproportionate number of mayoral appointees created a system that lacked sufficient “checks and balances.” Some expressed concern that there would be a lack of continuity in programs and policies with each new mayor.
But the report also acknowledged that few people are calling for a return to the previous local school board model controlled by mayors. Advocates for the mayoral initiative argue that the current structure allows for more effective and accountable leadership than the previous school board system.
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Research on school governance is 'inconclusive'
Meanwhile, the report says research remains unclear when it comes to school governance models. While some studies suggest that mayoral control brings more resources to schools and improves efficiency, others find “persistent problems with inefficiency and resource misuse.”
The report found that “there is no definitive relationship between a school's governance structure and student achievement,” and that “no governance structure reduces long-standing inequalities in educational access and achievement among students.” It found that there was “little evidence that
Still, Adams, Banks and other officials point to test scores and other metrics in defending the current system.
“What we clearly see is continued improvement in student graduation rates and proficiency,” Weisberg said Tuesday.
He specifically noted that the gap between New York City students and the rest of the state on standardized tests has narrowed over the past 20 years, saying, “The report's failure to compare and contrast is a missed opportunity.'' ” he said.
But the report has an extensive section on the test score gap between students in the city and the rest of the state, and data in the report shows that this gap has narrowed significantly since 2005. It is said that there is However, researchers are cautious about drawing any causal link between mayoral control and reduced inequality, saying that there are many other factors that influence test scores and that the effects of specific education policies and He pointed out that it is almost impossible to distinguish the effects of educational policies. Mayoral control as a whole.
Weisberg countered that it's valid to compare results for students in the city and students in other parts of the state who took the same test, as long as demographics are taken into account.
Debate over mayoral leadership continues even after the report
In recent weeks, as lawmakers continue to debate the state budget, Banks has stepped up his advocacy for expanding the mayor's powers. In meetings with lawmakers and public comments, he argued that the extension was justified given the past two years' performance.
But lawmakers have repeatedly pushed back against efforts to include an extension in the next national budget. Some held back from considering the future of the city's school governance structure until the report was released.
State Sen. John Lieu (D-Queens), chairman of the Senate New York City Education Committee, said in a statement Tuesday that the report will be “invaluable in legislative deliberations and policy decisions.” .
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“We are deeply grateful to Secretary Betty Rosa and the team of education experts at the State Department of Education and will share their findings and recommendations as we address important issues in New York City school governance once the state budget is enacted. I look forward to digesting it thoroughly,” he said.
In addition to its findings, the state report highlights a series of recommendations from resident testimony. This includes potential adjustments to the structure of PEPs and the role of local education councils and school leadership teams to strengthen the voice of local people. Community in the city's decision-making process. Citizens also called for a commission to consider long-term reforms to the city's school governance structure.
David Bloomfield, a professor of education, law and public policy at Brooklyn College and the City University of New York Graduate Center, said in a statement that “the committee's recommendations for further consideration of alternatives… It has the effect of expanding the control of the
Michael Elsen-Rooney contributed reporting.
Julian Shembero is a reporter covering New York City. To contact him, jshen-berro@chalkbeat.org.
