With just a handful of days left in the legislative session, there is still no deal to extend mayoral control of city schools. And unlike in years past, this year, Mayor Bill de Blasio is much less involved in making the case for a renewal. Zack Fink filed the following report.
Negotiations over extending mayoral control of the city's public school system appear to have stalled, at least for now.
Mayor Bill de Blasio had planned to come up to Albany this week to lobby for an extension of mayoral control before it expires later this month, but he instead opted to cancel his trip.
Sources say Monday was the first time he even attempted to contact Republican Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan about the issue in months.
"Well, this really happens every year. These bills are usually passed at the last part of session because one group or another is trying to use one bill for another bill as leverage in negotiations," said state Senator John DeFrancisco of Syracuse.
Assembly Democrats already passed a two-year extension of mayoral control, along with many tax extensions for local governments that need approval.
The Senate has introduced three separate bills extending mayoral control, but all three expand the role of charter schools, which is a poison pill for the Assembly Democrats and their speaker, Carl Heastie.
Some have wondered whether Republicans may just pass their bills and then leave Albany as scheduled next week.
"Then we're going to go home," Heastie said. "We passed a bill that respected every locality's request for an extender, including the city's, for mayoral control, and we are trying to treat every county with the same amount of respect. And we wish the Senate Republicans would do the same."
Senate Republicans say Heastie needs to negotiate on charter schools, something the speaker has said he will not do.
"There is never this sense that we won't talk. But if I'm told the only way we are going to get mayoral control is I have to do something on charter schools, they're the ones who said they are not ready to negotiate," Heastie said.
Last year, de Blasio traveled to Albany and testified before the Republican-controlled Senate Education Committee on the benefits of mayoral control, and he still ended up getting only a one-year extension. This year, his strategy seems to be to stay away and let the state leaders work it out.