The New York State Education Department has delayed the release of a report assessing the effectiveness of mayoral control over New York City schools, missing a deadline set for March 31. The report was eagerly awaited by state lawmakers as they considered granting Mayor Eric Adams an extension to retain oversight of city public schools. Despite claims that a final report will be released early next week, details of the specific cause of the delay have not been provided by the SED spokesperson.
Lawmakers had set the initial deadline for the report on December 31, 2023, but it was extended to March 31 due to a lack of funding. The delay has led to skepticism by some lawmakers regarding the legitimacy of any further extensions of mayoral control. While the state legislature could still pass an extension of mayoral control outside of the budget before it expires on June 30, the likelihood of this happening seems uncertain given the current circumstances.
There is a split among lawmakers and stakeholder groups regarding the extension of mayoral control over New York City schools. The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) has been advocating against extending mayoral control, criticizing Mayor Adams for making budget cuts to schools and failing to present a plan to comply with new state laws mandating smaller class sizes. On the other hand, StudentsFirstNY, an organization aligned with Adams and supportive of charter schools, released a report highlighting the corruption and dysfunction in NYC schools before the implementation of mayoral control.
Taxpayers are expected to incur costs of up to $250,000 for the SED study on the effectiveness of mayoral control. State Sen. John Liu and Assemblyman Michael Benedetto have expressed differing views on the timeline and handling of the release of the report. Despite the delays and uncertainty surrounding the extension of mayoral control, the discussion and debates surrounding the governance of New York City schools are expected to continue over the coming months. The ultimate decision on the future of mayoral control and school governance in NYC will be determined by the state legislature.
