No one should blame teachers-union boss Mike Mulgrew for demanding an end to City Hall’s control of schools. Given that most mayoral candidates are ready to sell their right arm for his support, why shouldn’t he set a high price for it?
But the union boss’ demand Thursday was telling: If Mulgrew so badly wants out of mayoral control, well . . . Mayor Bloomberg must be doing something right.
Could it be his efforts to hold schools accountable? Since winning control of public education in 2002, Bloomberg has shut, or is set to shut, some 142 sub-par schools.
He’s sought meaningful teacher performance reviews. And his reviews would have consequences: Teachers who don’t measure up could be fired quickly.
Because of Mulgrew’s union, that’s not yet the way it works. The union exists to insulate teachers from accountability, and it’s been pretty successful. That’s why kids are too often stuck with lousy teachers.
Even so, Mulgrew must find mayoral control burdensome. He wants to go back to the old days, because he knows that getting rid of mayoral control really means ushering in uncontested union control.
His plan works like this: Strip the mayor, whoever it is next year, of the right to choose a chancellor or even to pick a majority of the members on the Panel for Education Policy, which sets school policy. Instead, spread the power to make these picks over a broad group of officials: the borough presidents, comptroller, public advocate and City Council speaker. This way, no single official could be blamed for letting union excesses keep schools failing. Everyone wins — except the kids.
Mulgrew’s right when he says that our schools’ performance on measures such as college readiness demonstrate that mayoral control hasn’t achieved the results New York needs. And people have rightly been quick to hold Bloomberg accountable for his mistakes, including his ill-fated appointment of Cathie Black as chancellor.
But that’s a victory itself. The whole point of reform was to give taxpayers and parents someone to blame.
Unfortunately that victory may be short-lived. Mulgrew is almost in a no-lose position. Most of the candidates running for mayor are refusing to rule out his plan, and a few are open to it. Ultimately, its fate will be up to Albany, but even if he loses there, the odds are that November’s winner will be someone ready to do his bidding.
Get ready for Mayor Mulgrew.