Saying Yes to Education in Syracuse (part 2)

Thinking about whether consideration of mayoral control in Syracuse is a power grab or an attempt at finding a better way forward, I first looked back.

A few days after her historic election as Syracuse’s first female mayor, the editorial board of the Post-Standard suggested that Stephanie Miner had her ‘work cut out for her’, given that she was coming into office at a very difficult time for the city and the country. High on the list of things that needed focus, according to the editors, was education. Strained relationships between the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) and the city, the renovation plans for many of the SCSD’s campuses, a final decision on whether Blodgett School (recently removed from the State’s worst-performing list) stays open or closes -- these all needed to be hashed out and resolved. Continued support for Syracuse’s highly innovative Say Yes to Education program was also critical.

I compared what the editors thought with what Mayor Miner had indicated in her own plan for the city. In the 50 Point Plan, Education and Youth was the second of six key focus areas. In addition to strategies related to funding and fully implementing Say Yes she included completing the renovation plan, working more cooperatively with the SCSD and Board of Education, pursuing a holistic approach to reduce dropout rates and improve achievement, and lastly to “examine how alternative administrative methods might achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in our City’s schools.”

Regarding working more cooperatively, Minor pointed out the obvious critical correlation between SCSD and the city’s success, citing the need for full engagement and communication between City Hall and SCSD as cornerstones of leading a ‘…concerted public effort to lift up’ the city of Syracuse. She also called out that “Everyone, especially the Mayor, must take responsibility for the success of our children and our city.” How can the mayor do this? By exploring alternative methods of administration, for one. If we’re looking for efficiency, better control over budget dollars, and improved results, why not look at options? Mayoral control is one of perhaps several options – including staying with the status quo and leaving the Board of Education in charge. Several opinions can be found here, including that of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who states “Mayoral control isn’t the solution in every city. But it is an important tool to consider in cities that need to make dramatic improvements in their schools.”

Earlier in the year, I had asked that we look to 2010 as The Year of Accountability, of people taking responsibility and acting accordingly, or as The Year of Cooperation between jurisdictions, of acting without self interest but in the interest of larger constituencies. To me, here in Syracuse, with some schools improving but still very much at risk, with budget woes at the city, county and state levels, is putting options on the table a bad position for the mayor to take? Is it a power grab, or is the mayor’s office a logical place for the buck to stop?