Educators, Advocates Unite to Call for Clean Extension of Mayoral Control in New York City Schools

May 6, 2026 (New York, NY) – In the final weeks of New York state’s budget negotiations, teachers and advocates both released letters today, urging the governor and legislature to pass a clean extension of mayoral control for New York City’s public schools. They warn that failing to do so could thwart academic progress for nearly one million students.

“These letters were released together to demonstrate the broad, citywide support for mayoral control,” said Evan Stone, Co-Founder and CEO of Educators for Excellence. “From improvements in literacy and math outcomes to expanded early childhood access, we’ve seen what’s possible when our school system has stability, coherence, and accountability to deliver results.”

More than a dozen educators from the Educators for Excellence-New York Teacher Leader Steering Committee authored the first letter, and it follows a recent meeting with Chancellor Kamar Samuels, where they called for keeping, growing, sustaining, and improving NYC Reads and NYC Solves. Educators, in their letter, emphasized that these initiatives wouldn’t have been possible without mayoral control and that it must be extended to maintain momentum.

“I was one of the educators who first advocated for NYC Reads, and I know that a systemwide effort at this scale is only possible under mayoral control,” said Erica Boyce, a New York City elementary school educator. “We elected this mayor for four years. Mayoral control should be extended for that full, four-year term as well, so the mayor and chancellor can implement their vision for our schools in a sustained way.”

The second letter, signed by leading education and community-based organizations, highlights the progress made under mayoral control and the risks of reverting to a fragmented governance structure. 

“Large systems need coherence to deliver equitable experiences for students,” said Carolyne Quintana, CEO of Teaching Matters. “Mayoral control allows New York City to align vision, resources, and support across districts so schools are not operating in isolation and students are not left with dramatically different experiences depending on where they live.”

Both letters emphasize that strong central leadership must be paired with meaningful community engagement. Educators and advocates expressed a commitment to working with city and state leaders to strengthen transparency, expand family engagement, and ensure that all communities can meaningfully participate in decision-making.

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About Educators for Excellence-New York (E4E-NY)

Educators for Excellence-New York is a teacher-led organization with more than 18,000 members across NYC, working to ensure educators’ voices are at the center of the policies that impact their classrooms, profession, and students.