Commercial Appeal April 5, 2009

HEADLINE: Mayoral-led school systems a trend around country

But few in Memphis push for shift in oversight

By Jane Roberts (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal

The cheering section for mayor-led school districts got pompoms and megaphones last week when Secretary of Education Arne Duncan promised to do everything in his power to increase the number.

Seven cities, including New York, Chicago, Boston and Washington, have turned school control over to the mayor. In five or six others, control is managed by a hybrid of elected and appointed board members.

While the research is mixed, most mayors claim either improved test scores or graduation rates. In New York, for instance, the graduation rate has increased 11 percent since Mayor Mike Bloomberg was given control of the schools in 2002.

In Memphis, where the issue arises nearly as cyclically as the cicada, the hum is less pronounced now than it was a year ago when Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton and city Mayor Willie Herenton were leading the charge for the change.

"I have no particular reason for taking that argument up now," Wharton said Friday. "I think that push often comes up when mayors and others survey the land and feel they are on the edge of despair."

The difference Wharton and others see are gains Memphis City Schools Supt. Kriner Cash and the board of education are making, including separate high schools for over-age students, security improvements and a more strategic goal for managing the system's $1.3 billion budget.

"There appears to be relief in sight," Wharton said.

Éthele Hilliard, head of Partners in Public Education, a nonprofit affiliated with the Public Education Network in Washington, says Cash's initiatives need time to work before the elected-board model is scrapped for city control.

"Dr. Cash is stepping forward in a bold fashion, methodically going through the system, identifying problems early and trying to put in enrichment options that will help kids. You have to let that play out," she said.

Kenneth Wong, director of Brown University's urban education policy program, has studied mayor-led districts since 2000. Based on the push to raise student achievement and compete globally, he says, the structure has merit in 400 urban districts that educate about a third of the nation's children.

"The No. 1 reason is very clear accountability. We know who to hold accountable for public education. If we don't like what mayor is doing, we can get rid of him."

In a study of 12 districts with some form of city control, test scores rose over five years, Wong said.

Education gets more scrutiny in the media when led by mayors, he says, and superintendents tend to stay longer because the system gives them a "political buffer," allowing them to focus on solely teaching and learning.

The pitfalls include voter apathy and concerns that mayor-appointed boards only rubber-stamp the mayor's wishes.

In New York, the state legislature this session is expected to renew its mayoral-control clause, set to sunset this year. According to a Quinnipiac University poll last winter, voters with children in New York public schools support the continuation 57 to 41 percent.

In Tennessee, changing from elected school boards to mayor-led systems would require amending the state Constitution, although under No Child Left Behind laws, the governor has authority to appoint a conservator to oversee persistently low-achieving districts.

Nashville public schools are teetering on the precipice. If they fail to make the grade this year, Gov. Phil Bredesen must consider a change, and mayoral leadership is a possibility.

"I am preparing myself for any eventuality," says Mayor Karl Dean, who's met with Bloomberg as part of his research of city-run models.

Part of his concern is that higher state graduation standards, beginning with next year's freshmen class, only intensify the challenge.

In Memphis, where about 16 percent -- or 30 schools -- are on the failing list, Cash fears mayoral control would further erode city support of education, he said, citing the City Council vote last summer to cut $66 million from the school budget.

Cash expects it would also be easy for a mayor to fill key positions, including the superintendent's job, with "political allies."

"Mayoral control has resulted in a reduction in community engagement in governance, oversight and public participation," Cash said in an e-mail.

"Memphis is a big small town and needs lots of community support and input. A high-quality elected board directly responsible to the people is the best way to do this."