FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 3, 2022
The following statement is from Assemblymember Michael Reilly (R,C-Staten Island) regarding Mayoral Control of the New York City public school system…
“As a former President of Staten Island’s Community Education Council, advocating for our public school students, as well as their parents and educators, is something that will always remain near and dear to my heart. That’s why, in 2019, during my first year in office, I introduced legislation to reform Mayoral Control of the New York City public school system. My legislation sought to allow for greater parental participation on the Department of Education’s governing board, implement term limits for board appointees, reduce the Mayor’s political influence over board appointees, and safeguard against the retaliatory removal of board appointees by their appointing authority.
After many years of advocating for these common sense reforms, I was pleased to learn that several of them made their way into the state legislature’s final proposal on Mayoral Control. Last night I voted in favor of that bill, which grants a two-year extension on Mayoral Control, expands the composition of the governing board by adding more parental appointments, and protects appointees from being removed from the board without just cause, among other changes.
Additionally, I voted in favor of a bill to significantly reduce class sizes in our public schools. The reduction would be phased in over the next several years, and I strongly believe that doing this will result in improvements to the academic and social growth of our students.
I’ll be sure to monitor these changes as they are implemented and continue to propose reforms as needed. New York is home to the largest public school district in the nation, which is why we must strive to make it the best public school district in the nation.”