New York – Mayor Bloomberg is still the undisputed educator-in-chief of New York City public schools!
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The state Senate passed legislation today by a 47-8 vote renewing mayoral control of the Big Apple’s vast education system serving 1.1 million students. Gov. Paterson said he will sign the long-awaited measure into law.
The legislative action follows an extensive, three-month Post series highlighting progress made in the schools under mayoral control since 2002.
Stories focused on controversial accountability measures that helped boost the graduation rate and narrow the racial achievement gap. Other articles shed light on increased options for parents and students through the dramatic expansion of charter schools.
Aside from ratifying legislation previously approved in the Assembly that extends the mayor’s authority over education through 2015, the Senate also passed four related bills or chapter amendments.
The legislative add-ons sought by the senators and agreed to by Bloomberg include:
— Creating a parent training center run by CUNY.
— Setting up an arts advisory council.
— Clarifying the role of superintendents in evaluating principals in their district.
— Requiring schools to hold meetings on school safety.
Senate President Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) said the evidence clearly showed that mayoral control “was a far bigger success” for kids than the prior dysfunctional Board of Education it replaced. But he said the original 2002 law needed to be tweaked.
“Through rigorous debate and thoughtful discussion with educational community advocates the Senate improved school governance by increasing parental input and strengthening measures for transparency and fiscal accountability,” Smith said.
That lowlife smothered the NY Senate with his own money to gain control of the schools.
Tough. You gotta love his ability to take control and actually make something out of it.