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Mamadani touts ‘mayoral ‘accountability’ for schools, but does he know what that means?

For years, New York City’s schools operated under “mayoral control.” Now, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is rebranding it “mayoral accountability.”

What that means, exactly, may not be what you think.

Mamdani, who opposed mayoral control throughout his campaign, and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels now describe their oversight not as “control,” but  “accountability.”

That sounds great, except they link the phrase to family empowerment and community voice — a fair enough goal but no substitute for real accountability.

“Mayoral accountability and family empowerment are not mutually exclusive,” notes Samuels.

He’s right. But they’re clearly different concepts: Family empowerment is about participation. Accountability is about responsibility for student outcomes.

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At the Legislature’s recent budget hearing, Mamdani said a four-year extension of “mayoral accountability” would create a system “where communities and parents have a voice.”

Giving parents a voice is about taking their opinions into account in making decisions. Again, that’s fine; parents’ input is vital.

But accountability is about who owns the final numbers — on student achievement, attendance, etc.

The original case for mayoral control made........

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