Fourteen years ago, state legislators approved the transfer of control of the city public schools from the sclerotic, patronage-ridden Board of Education and a dysfunctional community-school-board set-up to the Office of the Mayor. The logic was simple: the existing system wasn’t working well, and placing responsibility with the city’s chief executive meant someone could actually be held accountable if things didn’t improve.
The measure, which was signed into law by then-Gov. George Pataki, was to run for seven years and then be subject to renewal in 2009. When that time arrived, clear progress had been made, even as problems remained in middle schools in poorer city neighborhoods, and a six-year extension was granted with minimal discord.
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