Albany’s powers hold NYC kids hostage again in yet another mayoral-control drama

Up in Albany, the knives are out for Gotham’s public-school kids, as lawmakers toy with ending mayoral control of the city’s system: Will Gov. Hochul have Mayor Adams’ back against the assassins?

This week, the Democratic majorities in the Assembly and state Senate left out of their budget bills the renewal of mayor control, signaling their intent to take up the question only after the budget is settled — when Hochul has less leverage.

The law granting the mayor control lapses in June, after the Legislature extended it by just two years in 2022, and then only at the price of the gov agreeing to 1) an NYC-only “class size” law that serves only the interests of the United Federation of Teachers, and 2) fine print that reduced the mayor’s control over the policy-making Panel for Educational Policy.

Oh, and to a State Education Department study of the “effectiveness” of mayoral control, due this spring — and all too likely to be junk, since SED (which is completely independent of the gov) is an utter farce.

After more than two decades, there’s zero reason not to make mayoral control permanent — same as the governance of every other school system in the state is a settled question — except that state lawmakers enjoy toying with the city’s children and pleasing the UFT.

In her budget proposal for the year, Hochul proposed a four-year extension (as she did in 2022); that would at least end the Albany political games for a good while.