Mayoral control in NYC must end: Eric Adams and the crisis in school leadership

As New York City works to protect its most vulnerable communities from harmful policies championed by the Trump administration and from the chaos caused by the resignation of Adams’ deputy mayors, we need school leadership that is accountable to students, parents, and educators — not a mayor prioritizing personal legal troubles over the well-being of our children.

While much attention has focused on Mayor Adams’ federal corruption case, or lack thereof, what has received less scrutiny is the chaos he has caused within NYC public schools (NYCPS) in his desperate bid for political survival. His recent alignment with President Trump on executive orders related to school choice, “radical indoctrination,” immigration enforcement, and LGBTQ rights should alarm every New Yorker. 

Since September, Adams has overseen a string of crises that have destabilized the nation’s largest school system. On Sept. 4, the day before schools reopened, the FBI seized former Chancellor David Banks’ phone and raided his home, linking him to the broader federal investigation into Adams.

Three weeks later, Banks announced his retirement, effective Dec. 31. Just a day later, Adams was indicted on charges of wire fraud, bribery, and soliciting illegal campaign contributions. Facing increased scrutiny, Banks was pressured to step down by Oct. 16, clearing the way for Adams to appoint Melissa Aviles-Ramos as the new chancellor.

Shortly thereafter, federal agents raided the Department of Education’s (DOE) headquarters at Tweed Courthouse, searching for further evidence of corruption. This chaotic sequence has felt more like an HBO drama than the reality for the largest public school system in the United States. 

This turmoil has disrupted critical educational planning and governance, leaving students, educators, and parents in a state of uncertainty. Education leaders that oversaw key initiatives supporting our most vulnerable students have had their positions redefined and priorities shifted. Our children deserve leadership that prioritizes their education and well-being, not a mayor scrambling to consolidate power while under federal investigation and seeking a pardon by aligning policies to harm children.

For more than two decades, NYC public schools have been under mayoral control, granting the mayor unchecked authority over nearly a million students and hundreds of thousands of educators and staff. Proponents argue that this model provides efficiency and accountability.

In reality, it has centralized power in the hands of one politician, sidelining the very communities schools are meant to serve. Touted as a model of accountability, mayoral control eliminates actual community-driven governance of our schools. The mayor appoints the chancellor and most Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) members, giving one person overwhelming control with little public accountability. Dissent from PEP is mostly performative, as the mayor has intimidated and not reappointed members who disagree with him.

Hundreds of students, parents, and educators have spoken out against mayoral control at borough hearings held by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Their testimony reflects the reality: this system has failed to deliver on its promises of accountability and equity.

Under Adams, mayoral control has led to reckless decision-making, deepened segregation, and blatant cronyism. Instead of addressing overcrowding, budget deficits, and racial inequities, the mayor has used school resources to benefit his political allies. This pattern mirrors the abuses seen under former Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s tenure, when mass school closures and unchecked charter school expansion devastated neighborhood schools, all while ignoring community input.

Schools are not businesses, yet mayoral control subjects them to the whims of a single politician whose priorities have little to do with student success.

With the Trump administration issuing executive orders and federal guidance targeting places like New York City, urgent action is needed to protect our schools and communities from the dangerous Trump education agenda. We must continue to be a beacon of hope against Trump’s anti-public education policies, and we cannot rely on Eric Adams to protect our most vulnerable students.

Adams’ latest maneuvers demonstrate just how dangerous this governance structure has become. In a bid to secure a pardon from Trump or halt federal charges, he has aligned with far-right policies that directly harm NYC students:

• Executive orders undermining public education: Adams has embraced Trump-style education policies, including attacks on bilingual programs and equity initiatives. His recent budget cuts have disproportionately harmed schools serving immigrant and low-income students.
• Targeting immigrant families: Adams has signaled a willingness to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement (ICE) in school settings, a direct betrayal of NYC’s sanctuary status. This endangers thousands of students whose families fear deportation.
• Rolling back protections for trans students: In an alarming shift, Adams has echoed conservative rhetoric questioning transgender student rights, jeopardizing inclusive policies that ensure all students feel safe and supported in school.

By prioritizing his political survival over the needs of students attending NYCPS, Adams has shown that he cannot be trusted with the future of New York City.

Before mayoral control, local school boards allowed for greater community engagement. While critics point to inefficiencies and alleged corruption under the previous system, those issues should be addressed through targeted reforms — not by concentrating power in the hands of one individual.

Restoring democratic governance would:

• Empower students, families and educators: Decision-making should be shared among educators, parents, and students through elected school boards and community councils.
• Increase transparency: Budget decisions, policy changes, and leadership appointments must be made in the open, with accountability measures in place to prevent corruption.
• Promote stability: Schools suffer when policies shift dramatically with each new mayoral administration. A governance model based on community input ensures continuity and long-term planning.
• Combat educational inequities: Addressing racial and socioeconomic disparities requires policies rooted in local needs, not dictated by mayoral politics.

Now that the Legislature is back in session, lawmakers must act swiftly to dismantle mayoral control and replace it with a democratic governance system by 2026. Cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Detroit offer models to transition away from mayoral control, and we can learn from their successes and challenges in promoting transparency. This transition must include:

• Stripping the mayor of power to appoint the chancellor and PEP members: The mayor currently appoints the chancellor and the majority of the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP), ensuring rubber-stamp approval of policies that benefit his administration rather than students. A restructured PEP with balanced representation is essential.
• Increasing student representation: Students must have a voice in education policy decisions that impact their futures. This means granting them meaningful voting power.
• Implementing a transparent oversight system: School governance decisions must be subject to independent review to prevent financial mismanagement and corruption.
• Studying alternative models: Other major cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Detroit have moved away from mayoral control in favor of community-led education governance. NYC should learn from these examples to create a more equitable system.

Education should be driven by the needs of students and evidence driven approaches, not the political calculations of a mayor under federal investigation seeking a pardon from the president. Transparency and accountability must replace backroom deals and corruption. The fight to end mayoral control is a fight for our children’s future. 

New Yorkers must demand action from their legislators. Ending mayoral control isn’t just about removing Adams’ influence over our schools — it’s about ensuring that no future mayor, regardless of political party, can wield unchecked power over public education.

The time for change is now, we should demand better from our legislators.

Salas-Ramirez is a neuroscientist, professor, parent leader, and former president of a Community Education Council, former member of the Panel for Educational Policy, and parent of two NYC public school students. Gonzales, executive director of Liberation Spaces LLC, is a former teacher, community organizer, researcher, and policy expert based in NYC.