The state Board of Regents — the ultimate policy-maker for all formal education in New York, from pre-K to post-grad — is back firmly under the thumb of the teachers unions and their allies, none of whom puts kids, parents or education first.
It’s time to start thinking about blowing up the whole system.
Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch — who brought a real measure of honesty, accountability and even innovation to the system — is leaving the board. Turnover among the Regents has already decisively shifted the majority against her reforms.
And it has all come with no popular vote, nor even public input — because the Regents are de facto picked by the speaker of the state Assembly, who is himself chosen only by the majority of his Democratic members.
The Regents also choose the head of the state Education Department — Gov. Andrew Cuomo gets no say, either.
Fine, each Regent is some kind of expert in the field — but it’s easy to find “experts” who’ll back your agenda.
Former Speaker Sheldon Silver favored the modest reforms put forth by Tisch, a longtime ally. His successor, Carl Heastie of The Bronx, got the speakership only after assuring the unions he’d have their backs. Hence the counter-revolution.
In theory, the Legislature votes as a body to pick Regents, but Heastie’s bloc of Assembly Democrats (with a few Senate allies, if needed) commands the absolute majority — so the speaker makes the call.
Those rules were written back when there was a measure of partisan balance in Albany. No more.
No Republican has been much involved in state education policy since Gov. George Pataki left office nearly a decade ago — and as things stand, there won’t be another for a very long time.
Democratic reformers have no voice, either.
This system needs to change — because, if it doesn’t, nothing else will change.
One option: Take control away from a calcified, demonstrably corrupt Legislature and hand it to a directly accountable elected official — that is, the governor.
It can’t make matters worse, and most likely would help.
Mayoral control has clearly improved New York City’s schools. Some of them, anyway — and voters can at least weigh in on Mayor Bill de Blasio’s stewardship.
The public now has no way to direct state school policy. Gubernatorial control is at least one way to change that.