While the State Senate remains at a political standstill, lawmakers say the city's current educational system and the future of its 1.1 million public school students hang in the balance. NY1's Tara Lynn Wagner filed the following report.

The clock is ticking on the fate of the city's education system. So said signs held by rallying parents in East Harlem Sunday morning, which echoed a message by Governor David Paterson.

"The mayoral control will expire 12 o'clock Tuesday night, June 30th. As of July 1st it will spiral New York City's public school system and educational process into chaos," said Paterson.

With members of the State Senate in a stalemate over a power-sharing agreement, some legislation -- including control of city schools -- remains in limbo. No action means the law will sunset, forcing the city to revert to the Board of Education system which was disbanded seven years ago. Standing next to Mayor Michael Bloomberg Sunday, Paterson warned that such a reversal of fortune would undo recent improvements like higher test scores and increased graduation rates.

"The inaction in the senate is dead wrong. All of the progress that mayor control has yielded, and the results are staggering, would be lost by the expiration of this law," said Paterson.

But not everyone agrees with the concept or effectiveness of mayoral control. Participants in a counterprotest outside PS 57 said parents don't have enough of a voice.

Critics insist they too want a bill to pass before midnight Tuesday. But many support an alternate version that contains provisions for greater parental involvement.

"They need to put a parent center, an independent parent center housed somewhere so that parents and students can learn how to navigate the system," said Cynthia Williams of the Campaign for Better Schools.

"At this point, if you started making any changes it's a joke. You're saying you're not going to pass anything because we all know it would quickly spiral out of control," said Bloomberg.

Bloomberg says the city's only hope is for the senate to vote on the version identical to the one passed by the State Assembly earlier this month, which he says does give parents a greater role. But he stands by his belief that policy should be set by teachers and principals, not parents.

"If you want a clear example of what happens when you have nobody in charge, that's what we've been talking about, take a look at the State Senate," said Bloomberg

The State Senate was scheduled to enter yet another special session Sunday, beginning at 6 p.m.

Paterson says he'll keep calling them until senators tackle important legislation still on the table, which also includes an increase on the city's sales tax.

So far, all of the special sessions have ended as quickly as they began, with members gaveling in and out.

On Saturday, Democrats and Republicans took to the senate floor in brief shifts, and failed to pass any legislation.

During an appearance at upstate Fort Drum Saturday, Paterson chastised lawmakers for failing to do their jobs.

"There are countless other emergency pieces of legislation that must be acted upon by June 30th. And if they are gonna continue in this juvenile fighting with each other where they can't even come into the chambers to pass bills that they all agree on, then I don't really know what else to do. But I'm gonna keep them there until they do," Paterson said.

The governor's lawyers are also suing the State Senate to force both sides to attend sessions together.