Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
State report points to reforming mayoral control of NYC schools
By
Jessica Gould
Published Apr 9, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Jessica Gould
Published Apr 9, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A report from the New York state education department suggested some reforms to mayoral control of New York City’s schools on Tuesday, prompting furious backlash from Mayor Eric Adams.
The nearly 300-page state education department report did not recommend transformative change to the New York City school system's oversight. But it did note that the city's top-down approach to education gives the mayor more power than any other district in the United States, and suggested possibly diluting City Hall’s influence over a panel that votes on education department contracts.
State legislators said they'll use the report to inform their vote on whether to extend mayoral control of schools, which expires at the end of June.
“This report is a thorough, research-based presentation of school governance models in New York City and elsewhere,” state education department spokesperson J.P. O’Hare said in a statement.
Adams lashed out before the report was publicly released, attacking its authors and questioning its methodology.
“So I'm concerned. Is this more political? Or is it about the way we have done it and [what] Chancellor [David] Banks has done,” Adams said during a press conference prior to the report’s public release. “When we sat down and communicated with them, it was clear that either someone did not read the law, or they determined that they were going to do it the way they wanted to do.”
He attacked CUNY School of Law’s involvement in the report and hinted that he believed the school was biased against him. He referenced an episode last year when CUNY Law graduates turned their backs on him while he delivered a commencement speech. He also said the education department made a mistake by not delving more deeply into school governance models and student achievement data.
But the report did in fact compare models of school governance.
“Research indicates that there is no conclusive relationship between school governance structures and student achievement,” the report reads. It added that there was no substantial evidence that mayoral control reduces educational inequities.
Ultimately, the report on mayoral control recommended forming a commission to further study mayoral control – a classic political tactic to delay a decision on a high-stakes issue.
Albany legislators first granted Mayor Michael Bloomberg control of the school system. That arrangement must be renewed, typically every one to four years.
The last time mayoral control was extended was in spring 2021, when the Legislature passed a law requiring the state education department to convene hearings on the subject and study its efficacy, which ultimately resulted in Tuesday’s report.
The majority of speakers at public hearings – largely teachers and parents – felt that the system ignores their insights and input. Many called for abolishing mayoral control altogether, potentially forcing the city to revert back to oversight by elected parent leaders.
“The majority of public hearing participants said they do not feel heard or included in the New York City public school system’s decision-making processes,” the state education department wrote in a release.
The debate over an extension this year has been contentious, in part due to Adams’ criticism of a new state law limiting class sizes.
Schools Chancellor David Banks has said that mayoral control may be imperfect but the old system consisting of a board of education and local school boards was inefficient and corrupt.
“You didn't have a shot at being a principal in a particular district unless the head of the community board, you were close to them or you were prepared to pay money for your position. That's not made up stuff. That was real,” he said last month.
He added that he would not be interested in governing under the old model.
“The reason I accepted this assignment as chancellor was because of this mayor and the ability to work in alignment with this mayor. I have no interest in serving as a chancellor in a system where you don't really have the authority to make real decisions. I have no interest in that whatsoever,” Banks said.
State Sen. John Liu, who chairs the Senate's NYC education committee, and state Sen. Shelly Mayer, who chairs the Senate's education committee, said the report would be “invaluable” as lawmakers review mayoral control.
Tagged
new york city
education
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .