After a week of trading verbal jabs over the issue of school governance, it appears that Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the State Senate Democrats have reached a deal that would extend Mayoral Control over public schools.
The deal, which appears to have been agreed to in principle by a number of Senate Democrats, happened on Friday, July 24, after days of negotiations between both sides.
“The agreement announced by the Senate Democratic Leadership today enables progress in our schools to continue,” Bloomberg said in a statement released on Friday afternoon. “It preserves the accountability and authority necessary to ensure that the gains we’ve made – in math and reading scores, graduation rates and school safety – continue. At the same time, the agreement addresses concerns that have been raised by legislators in a way that makes sense.”
Check back for more updates and read The Queens Courier print edition on Thursday, July 30 for complete coverage.
