NY Post: Weprin & Montgomery Sponsoring Bill vs. Mayoral Control in NYS Legislature

ASSEMBLYMAN WEPRIN (QUEENS) AND SENATOR MONTGOMERY (BROOKLYN) SPONSORING BILL AGAINST MAYORAL CONTROL OF NYC EDUCATION
UFT OPEN TO CURBS ON MAYORAL CONTROL
Carl Campanile in the New York Post reported today that Assemblyman David Weprin and Senator Velmonette Montgomery are sponsoring a legislation in the New York State legislature to end mayoral control.

The article cites changes that New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has pursued:

Bloomberg has used the sweeping power to implement accountability and innovations — often over fierce opposition from entrenched interests.

These include tightening “social promotion” from grades 3 to 8, adopting a new school grading system, extending the school day for struggling students, and dramatically expanding choice and opportunity through charter schools and other alternative schools.

The Post's article left out endless tests, a mania for test-driven teaching, quantification of everything imaginable under the sun. It published some quotes of Weprin's criticisms:

But lawmakers pushing the bill to kill mayoral control counter that Bloomberg and his chancellors have run the schools like autocrats.

“The school system needs to be restructured. There is less community and parental input under mayoral control. There’s got to be a way to give parents more say in their children’s education. They don’t have that now,” said Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Queens), who is sponsoring the measure.

Some details of the proposed act:

The proposal would strip the mayor of appointing the majority — eight of 13 appointees — to the Panel on Education Policy, which replaced the Board of Education.

Under a reconstituted board, the mayor would have only four appointees. Each of the five borough presidents would have an appointee and the City Council would have four appointees.

And the board, not the mayor, would have the authority to hire the schools chancellor.

The mayoral-control law is not up for renewal until June 30, 2015. But the bill advanced by Weprin and state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery (D-Brooklyn) is an early bid to sway public opinion for what could be a bloody political battle.

Weprin added that the United Federation of Teachers "is 'very sympathetic to changes' and 'happy that there’s a discussion on mayoral control.'"

NYC comptroller candidates' debate, summarized

Crain's "New York Business" reported July 22, 2009 on a debate of the New York City comptroller candidates.

City councilors Melinda Katz and John Liu favored raising taxes on the wealthy to bolster the city's revenue. Liu and councilor David Weprin agreed with current comptroller William Thompson's call for Mayor Michael Bloomberg to fire Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein.

More specifics on Klein and the city Department of Education, direct from the Crains article:

Mr. Liu said he supports an assembly measure that would extend mayoral control, but that would make the DOE subject to examination by the comptroller.

“It’s the largest agency in the city and it’s ridiculous that the comptroller can’t touch it,” he said.

Mr. Weprin agreed, saying the comptroller’s office should have a right to audit the outside contracting budget of the DOE, which he said totals $2 billion a year.

Ms. Katz would not say whether she thought Mr. Klein should be fired and Mr. Yassky said he would not fire Mr. Klein.

For other details, see this link on the debate.