Why New Action opposes the recommendations to modify mayoral control

At Monday’s Executive Board the Committee on School Governance presented a set of School Governance Recommendations.

The committee worked hard on its recommendations. The individual proposals are positive.  But they are framed as modifications, as checks and balances on Mayoral Control.

One of the positive proposals deserves special mention. The UFT now stands for no waiver for the Chancellor. New Action’s David Kaufman made just such a proposal, well-reasoned, last time we had a governance report. And it was roundly, and wrongly, rejected. We wish that Dave were here today to see the union belatedly adopting his proposal.

New Action has opposed Mayoral Control. It has been a disaster for our schools, our students, our members. Last year we circulated petitions calling for an end of Mayoral Control. And we remain opposed to Mayoral Control. This year we declined to serve on the Governance Committee – the correct conclusion – ending Mayoral Control – was obvious.

Thus, at Monday’s Exec Board, we felt compelled to vote against otherwise positive recommendations, for not being part of an overall stance of ending Mayoral Control.

Our union, the UFT, should take the committee’s recommendations, and embed them in a proposal to end Mayoral Control. Then  New Action/UFT would proudly endorse them.