This is about how power is used in our state budget negotiations. Send an email > As our state budget is negotiated behind closed doors by a small group of leaders, a major decision about how New York City's schools are governed has been folded into the equation, and is now being used as a bargaining chip. Year after year, other non-budgetary issues, in this case mayoral control, get tied to the budget instead of being worked through in a way that involves public deliberation. Right now, the Governor is pushing a four-year extension of mayoral control for New York City schools and using it as leverage in negotiations over her priorities that the legislature doesn't share. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo used this same tactic, leveraging mayoral control during budget negotiations to push his own unrelated priorities. We will not stand to see this approach repeated here without calling it out. While the extension of mayoral control applies only to New York City, because the governor is insisting on it being part of the budget, it affects all of us. We need a two-year extension that allows enough time to develop an independent, community-led process to design a more democratic school governance system, in which students, parents, educators, and community members have a meaningful part in the decision-making process, and one that remains in place regardless of who the mayor is. Click through to hear more about why this sixth grader is advocating against mayoral control. Send an email to your state leaders and tell them to take mayoral control out of the budget and only extend it for two years with a process that brings people in and gives communities a real role. This is about how decisions are made and who they center. The choices made about mayoral control in this year's budget will shape our school communities and future for years to come. Take Action Email State Legislators > Send a message in just three clicks to your local state representatives and legislative leaders to give communities a say. AQENY.org   Facebook   Instagram    Bluesky Donate

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