My Letter to Secretary Arne Duncan

Last week, I sent a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, responding to a number of comments he made in support of Mayor Bloomberg’s control of the public school system. Having appointed the Commission on School Governance to examine mayoral control of the New York City public schools, I felt it was appropriate to share the Commission’s work with Secretary Duncan:

Dear Mr. Secretary, 

I want to congratulate you, first, on your confirmation as President Obama’s Secretary of Education. I respect the work you did to improve the Chicago Public Schools, and I wish you the best of luck in your new job.

I am writing in response to a number of comments you made regarding the current system of school governance in New York City public schools. While we both agree generally that the Mayor should retain control of the school system, I would caution against focusing too much on the data provided by the Department of Education—I have always said that it is a fundamental flaw that the current system gives the Mayor and Chancellor an incentive to present information in a positive light.

Read the Full Letter