The State Senate — particularly the Democratic faction, who resent the public and financial support Mayor Bloomberg has given Republican candidates in the past — willfully allowed the deadline to renew mayoral control of the city’s schools to pass on Tuesday without a vote or even a mention. This seemed like a doomsday scenario for summer-school programming, but the mayor stepped up to maintain the chain of command almost immediately. On Wednesday the Board of Education was reconstituted (with seven members, one appointed by each borough president and two by Bloomberg himself) and met for a nine-minute session, wherein they voted to retain Joel Klein as schools chancellor, and to disband themselves for good if and when the State Senate (ever) passes mayoral control for real.
It’s bad enough that some of our senators are acting out of petty vengeance and self-interested power struggles, but today the Post reveals that Senator John Sampson, the Democratic caucus leader who is a foe of the schools bill supported by the mayor, is actually working as a trial lawyer in a lawsuit against Joel Klein. He’s representing a fired assistant principal. The fishiness of this gig is only compounded by the fact that he didn’t disclose it until the tabloid found out. But, then again, it’s nothing that should surprise us too much. Had anyone up there actually displayed any sort of regard for the good of the 120,000 kids enrolled in summer school this year, that would have been news.
Revived Board of Education votes to keep Schools Chancellor Joel Klein [NYDN]
CONFLICT EYED IN SAMPSON MOVE [NYP]
