The Mayor and the Schools: What Is the Mayor's Role?
Wilbur C. Rich
Professor of Political Science, Wellesley College, Boston
As a desperate measure,
mayors across the country have taken or been given control of large,
beleaguered urban school districts. In 2002, Clevelanders voted
overwhelmingly to give the mayor authority to appoint the school board
that in turn hires and fires the schools chief. What then should
residents expect of a mayor in charge of schools: Involved and
outspoken advocacy for school improvement? City hall's political might
hurled in local and state education policy battles? Initiatives and
fundraising from city hall? Or a more distant, low-profile role? As the
November mayoral election approaches, this forum will help voters sort
out their expectations for the city's next mayor.
Wilbur C. Rich is co-editor of "Mayors in the Middle: Politics,
Race and Mayoral Control of Urban Schools" (2004) and author or "Black
Mayors and School Politics." He will discuss ways in which various
mayors have exercised leadership over schools, their effectiveness and
the politics and other forces that shape their role in school
improvement.