Governor Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers have agreed to extend mayoral control over New York City schools for an additional two years, ensuring that Mayor Eric Adams maintains influence throughout his first term.
The new deal, part of the state’s recent budget discussions, also mandates New York City to adhere more strictly to state laws requiring reduced class sizes, which will involve increasing school funding and constructing new buildings.
Mayor Adams expressed his satisfaction with the mayoral control and budget outcomes. “With the inclusion of mayoral accountability in the state budget, our administration has now secured every single one of our legislative priorities in the budget. Every. Single. One,” he declared.
Despite the consensus, some legislators expressed frustration over the process, suggesting that the decision for mayoral control was rushed.
“The proper way to do this is a thoughtful deliberation and hearing more voices in the process, taking into account more opinions from education stakeholders, and that’s exactly what we had planned to do immediately after the enactment of the budget,” stated Senator John Liu, Chair of the Senate’s NYC education committee.
The Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) will also experience a structural change, growing from 23 to 24 members. Its chair will be selected through a new process that aims to introduce a degree of independence from the mayor’s office.
The United Federation of Teachers pushed for the emphasis on smaller class sizes, which it views as a necessary step to align with state laws.
However, observers and some panel members question whether this modification will alter the panel’s dynamics or the school governance system.
Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, lauded the state’s effort, saying, “Today’s state budget requires New York City to provide every school with the funding it needs to lower class sizes—a critical investment in our public schools.”
Yet, concerns linger about the efficacy of these changes.
Critics argue that the decision, precipitated by a detailed state report revealing public dissatisfaction with the current governance structure, doesn’t adequately address calls for more substantive reforms.
With provisions to support a substantial increase in school funding and additional resources for migrant families, the governor highlighted her commitment to stability and non-politicized governance.
“Sometimes, you just have to step back and say, ‘We want to get this done,'” Governor Hochul stated.
