A mayor and chancellor who don't listen to parents.
An oversight board that's only a "rubber stamp."
Powerless parent-led school boards ignored by both officials and the community.
Those were among complaints hurled by City Council members, parent leaders and education advocates Monday as the City Council kicked off what's shaping up to be a year-long battle over control of city schools.
"We've heard a lot of criticism that parents have been marginalized and their voices excluded," Council Education Committee Chairman Robert Jackson said as he convened a hearing that quickly turned into a referendum on Mayor Bloomberg. "There's a general lack of transparency. ... Decisions are made behind closed doors."
The law that gave Bloomberg near-total control of the city schools in 2002 will expire next year unless Albany reauthorizes it.
The Council has no authority over the issue, but Jackson said he called the hearing to bring issues about mayoral control into the open.
Not everyone was critical of Bloomberg.
Even teachers union President Randi Weingarten praised him for taking responsibility for schools and for dramatically increasing school funds.
She noted, however, that when the mayor made a 1.7% cut to school budgets last month, there was no one at the Education Department who could publicly complain as chancellors have done in the past.
A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) declined to comment on mayoral control, other than to say, "It is something we will carefully review when the deadline draws near," suggesting the debate will have to wait until next year.
Former lawmaker Steve Sanders, now a lobbyist and one of the prime authors of the law giving the mayor control over city schools, predicted the Legislature and Gov. Spitzer won't let the measure sunset out of existence, but will revamp it to allow for more community and parental input.
