Mayoral Control of NYC Schools at Risk of Losing Power to United Federation of Teachers
Mayoral control of New York City public schools faces a dire future as the Legislature threatens to weaken it further this year. The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) could soon be the one pulling the strings if this trend continues.
Two years ago, the UFT flexed its colossal influence in Albany to dilute the mayor’s power in the Panel for Educational Policy, which oversees the city Department of Education. Additionally, the union successfully pushed for an NYC-only class size law, forcing the city to allocate an extra $2 billion annually to hire more teachers despite declining enrollment.
To compound matters, the Legislature recently renewed the law for just two years, setting the stage for further undermining of the mayor’s authority this year. Furthermore, the 2022 renewal mandated that the State Education Department (SED) review mayoral control and recommend changes. Critics have long warned that the SED, heavily influenced by the teachers’ unions, would side against mayoral control.
Failure on the part of lawmakers to resolve this issue would result in a chaotic transition back to the old Board of Education governance rules, effectively establishing UFT rule.
This alarming turn of events can be attributed to lawmakers like Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie of the Bronx and state Senator John Liu of Queens, who have made renewing this law a consistent method for the Legislature to assert its dominance over NYC mayors. It now appears to be a way of rewarding the UFT for its significant campaign donations and political support.
Albany must cease micromanaging the city’s public schools and allow Mayor Adams and Chancellor David Banks to focus on what truly benefits the children, rather than the self-serving interests that feed off the Department of Education.
Hopefully, Governor Kathy Hochul, who no longer faces the pressures of an impending election, will support Mayor Adams in his efforts to strengthen and extend mayoral control, ideally making it a permanent fixture.
This ongoing battle for control over NYC schools highlights the tension between political power and the best interests of the students. As parents and stakeholders anxiously await the resolution, the future of education in New York City hangs in the balance. It remains to be seen whether the UFT’s influence will prevail or if the city’s leaders can reclaim authority for the betterment of the students they serve.
The next moves by Governor Hochul and the Legislature will undoubtedly shape the destiny of the education system in the nation’s largest city. The eyes of parents, teachers, and concerned citizens across the city and beyond are now fixed on the power struggle unfolding in Albany.
