As Chancellor David Banks testifies about New York City’s educational needs in Albany today, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams has submitted his own testimony to the legislature on the need to move away from the current model of mayoral control and toward a ‘municipal control’ approach. This follows a public hearing held by the Public Advocate on Monday to hear from stakeholders including parents, educators, and students, as well as several years of ongoing advocacy from the Public Advocate on the issues.
He further emphasized that “The problems with mayoral control are not about any one mayor. Simply put, one person controlling NYC public schools does not allow for students, parents, and community members to have a true say in decisions related to our schools,” and proposed, “Minimally, the City Council should have advice and consent on matters pertaining to NYC Public Schools. Optimally, the entire school community should have a say in their own governance, as they know their needs best.”
While acknowledging that “a transition to Community School Governance will not happen overnight,” Public Advocate Williams made several recommendations for actions the legislature could take in the short term, including:
- Convene and fund an independent and community-led School Governance Commission that includes students, parents/caregivers, educators, and other education stakeholders to articulate a transition plan for a fully elected school board for NYCPS by 2026.
- Start Building Community Power Now.
- Reduce mayoral appointees by five and replace them with five elected parent positions.
- Give student panel members a vote, plan to increase voting membership to five by 2026.
- Provide public education resources to educate and inform the public about New York City school governance.
This week, the Public Advocate’s office held its own hearing on mayoral control, which allowed students, parents, educators, and other stakeholders to virtually testify and express their views on the current issues and future opportunities related to jurisdiction over New York City schools. Their testimony, delivered to the Public Advocate, First Deputy Public Advocate, Deputy Public Advocate for Education and Opportunity, and Chair of the City Council Committee on Education, Rita Joseph, was then provided to the state legislature as well.
STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS
TO COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION AND PRESIDENT OF SUNY DR. BETTY ROSA AND CHANCELLOR LESTER YOUNG
JANUARY 29, 2024
Good evening,
My name is Jumaane D. Williams, and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I would like to thank Commissioner and President Dr. Rosa and Chancellor Young. As someone whose entire educational background occurred within the New York City public school system, this is a very important and personal issue to me.
I remain unwavering in my belief that New York City and local government should have jurisdiction over NYC schools. We need to implement a system of checks and balances where the mayor and coordinating bodies are all held accountable. There are various models that give local government and the community more control over what happens in their schools; with municipal control, governmental bodies including the City Council would take on a greater role and work in tandem with the mayor in assessing the needs and constraints of the NYC education system. Minimally, the City Council should have advice and consent on matters pertaining to NYC Public Schools. Optimally, the entire school community should have a say in their own governance, as they know their needs best.
I would be remiss if I did not point out that large changes like the decision to end mayoral control, too often happen under the leadership of people of more color. That can be true at the same time as the actual need to move away from Mayoral control. We currently have a Black mayor and a Black chancellor in NYC, and I want to be clear that the problems with mayoral control existed before this administration, and will continue after it, if mayoral control is extended.
As intergovernmental collaborations and partnerships have continued to expand, the Department of Education (DOE) is still siloed entirely under the mayor. Our children’s education should not be dependent on one person—the mayor—especially during a time where we need heightened collaboration. It does not make sense to have one singular person at the helm of such an extensive education system when we can have a larger body share these responsibilities.
Under mayoral control, mayors—past and present—continue to get away with decisions that harm NYC youth parents, and communities because parents, youth, and community members don't have control over their schools. These decisions have included increasing the number of budget cuts, reversal of integration policies, reversal of CRSE mosaic, creating more charter schools, closing schools, and instituting merit pay for teachers. We have also not received a commitment for a just transition away from the heavy policing infrastructure in place for decades
while the issues they intend to solve still persist. The problems with mayoral control are not about any one mayor. Simply put, one person controlling NYC public schools does not allow for students, parents, and community members to have a true say in decisions related to our schools. Other major cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Oakland have moved away or are moving away from mayoral control models of school governance.
As NYC students and families continue to recover and cope with the stress, trauma, uncertainty, and upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic—and especially in light of recent cuts to school budgets—it is more important than ever to be working collaboratively to provide the academic, social-emotional, and physical and mental health services that our students need. Many Pre-K and 3-K students with disabilities are unable to find seats in special education programs. Many disabled students and students in temporary housing or foster care do not have reliable bus services to get them to school. Just this month, the DOE announced that it will be thinning the school menu, cutting student favorite food items like chicken tenders, bean and cheese burritos, grab-and-go salads, and French toast sticks. Prior to the expansion of free school meals to all students, 81 percent of NYC students qualified for free lunches. For many students, reducing the number of options—particularly student favorites—makes the difference between whether they
eat and whether they do not.
We need to implement a system of checks and balances where the mayor and coordinating bodies are all held accountable. Governmental bodies including the City Council should take on a greater role and work in tandem with the mayor in assessing the needs and constraints of the New York City education system. Various advocacy groups and organizations already look to the City Council to create change but as the law stands, there are limitations to the say these bodies have in the education system. The hiring of a DOE Chancellor should not be a unilateral decision
made by the mayor. We must make room for other voices to weigh in on education issues. The City Council provides checks on other city agencies, yet they cannot do the same for the DOE. We have a chance to change this and provide a level of consistency across the board when it comes to agency accountability.
All students deserve to have a reliable and consistent education system that puts them first. By expanding the level of responsibility-sharing among multiple bodies including the City Council, not just the mayor, we can make this possible. We need to set an example for our students and show them successful work gets done through collaboration. I also look forward to working together with my colleagues in Albany to ensure every student has a fair chance to succeed in the system.
I understand a transition to Community School Governance will not happen overnight, but the legislature has the responsibility to put in place an inclusive plan for transition, informed by the public, to create a more democratic school governance. To achieve that, I am asking the legislature to:
- Convene and fund an independent and community-led, School Governance Commission that includes students, parents/caregivers, educators, and other education stakeholders to articulate a transition plan for a fully elected school board for NYCPS by 2026.
- Start Building Community Power Now positions.
- Reduce Mayoral appointees by five and replace them with five elected parent
- Give student panel members a vote, plan to increase voting membership on the PEP to five by 2026.
- Provide public education resources to educate and inform the public about New York City school governance
Thank you.
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