Statement by Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. on One Year Extension of Mayoral Control of New York City Schools

Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. made the following statement on the one-year extension of New York City mayoral control of schools approved by the Senate and Assembly at the end of the 2016 legislative session on June 18:

“As a member of the Senate Education Committee and the father of two daughters in public schools, I am glad the Senate and Assembly took last-minute action to extend mayoral control of New York City schools for one year instead of plunging the system into chaos and hurting our students, teachers, administrators and other educational stakeholders. Political maneuvering almost had us facing the prospect of reliving the bad old days we experienced prior to the adoption of the mayoral control system. In this light, I am pleased that the primary concern for the welfare of our school children and the quality of their education ultimately prevailed.

“While I would have preferred an extension of mayoral control with reforms to provide principals with greater input into the operation of individual schools and to offer parents more of a say in the education system, I have no objection to the new transparency that will now be required of the City administration with regard to education spending throughout the five boroughs. To my mind, this is just an extension of the accountability the mayoral control system is already supposed to offer. When we see more clearly how and where our education dollars are being spent by the City, we will better be able to identify successful strategies and adjust other policies that don’t appear to be working. We must never lose sight of the fact that our children and their future success must be our number one priority.”