Mayor de Blasio heads to Albany on Friday, pushing for a renewal of mayor control of the city’s schools.
“If we're going to achieve our goal of being the fairest big city in America, nothing's more important than making our schools the best they can be. And with mayoral control that can be a reality,” de Blasio said.
The mayor won a two-year extension back in 2017 and now needs state lawmakers to renew it again. Without an extension, the city’s schools would go back to an old school board system that was abandoned 17 years ago.
"We could never go back to those days and I have said many times, it doesn't matter if Mayor Bloomberg and I agreed on everything or not. When it comes to mayoral control, it was one of his greatest achievements to get that passed in Albany, and we have all been benefiting since then,” de Blasio said.
Governor Andrew Cuomo supports a 3-year extension as part of his budget plan, but some state lawmakers are reluctant to make a long term commitment.
While in Albany, Mayor de Blasio will push lawmakers to support congestion pricing. He said that would provide the MTA with an influx of money to fix the subway system.
“I support the plan Governor Cuomo and I put forward. That’s the best way to solve the problem. I want that plan to work. If that plan works, then we’ve solved the problem,” de Blasio said.
Mayor de Blasio will be on the road again on Saturday, as he fuels presidential speculation with a trip to South Carolina.
“The lives of people in every state have gotten harder and harder in so many ways. People are struggling to make ends meet. Families are struggling. People don’t have enough time with their family and they see the growing wealth and power in the hands of the one percent, and it doesn’t make sense to them,” de Blasio said.
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