Partisan divide stalls decision on control of New York City schools

Centralized control of New York’s public schools began under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) in 2002, and will expire on July 1, 2017. Although the [View this email in your browser]( [Ballotpedia]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [The Tap]( Good morning! If you are looking for Ballotpedia's comprehensive review of the week in state and local politics, and preview of the week ahead, [you can still access the full Tap here](. If you haven’t yet told us what you think of this new format, please reply to this email and let us know! [Click here for the full review of the week in state and local politics]( On Wednesday, June 21, the [New York State Legislature]( adjourned without reaching an [agreement]( on extending the expiring mayoral control of [public schools]( in [New York City](. Centralized control of New York’s public schools began under former Mayor [Michael Bloomberg]( (R) in 2002, and will expire on July 1, 2017. Although the state [Senate]( has granted one-year extensions of control to Mayor [Bill de Blasio]( (D) over the previous two years, legislators were unable to reach a compromise before the close of session this year leaving the future of the largest public school district in the U.S. uncertain. The failure to reach an agreement has been blamed on a rift between Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Albany—New York’s state capital. Earlier in 2017, both chambers of the state legislature passed bills aimed at addressing the district’s expiring leadership arrangement. - In late May, the Republican-led [Assembly]( passed a bill that would have granted de Blasio a two-year extension and the Democratic-led [Senate]( authored bills with one-,two-,and five-year extensions earlier in June. Each bill contained provisions deemed unacceptable by the opposing chamber, leading to a stalemate. The Assembly linked tax extensions to its two-year proposal, and the Senate included an increase in the allowed number of charter schools in each of its proposals. With no agreement made by the close of the session, neither side achieved its goals. - This is not the first time mayoral control of New York City’s public schools has lapsed. When control was first centralized under Bloomberg’s administration, it was done so for seven years. In 2009, the policy was not renewed by the July 1 deadline, and the school board—which lost control of the school system for failures in oversight and performance—was reconvened. The board met once for [nine]( minutes, voting unanimously to give full control of schools to then-chancellor Joel Klein. Control was again granted to Mayor Bloomberg in early August when the legislature approved a new six-year extension. The lapse in 2009 had few, if any, lasting effects, but current NYC schools chancellor Carmen Fariña noted that returning to the former control structure would be expensive. - The city has [estimated]( that a return to a decentralized system would cost between $125 million and $160 million a year. The majority of these costs would be incurred by the creation of new leadership positions and through the expense of holding community school board elections every three years. Brian Kolb, Republican Assembly minority leader, suggested the Legislature may reconvene in a special session to address mayoral control before the end of 2017. The legislature is not scheduled to meet again until January 2018. - New York City’s public schools, collectively called the New York City Department of Education, comprises 32 independent school districts across the city’s five counties. These districts collectively served 972,325 students during the 2014-2015 school year—approximately 35 percent of all public school students in the state. - New York City is holding a general election for mayor on November 7, 2017. A primary election is scheduled on September 12, 2017, and the deadline for candidates wishing to run in the race is July 13, 2017. De Blasio faces a crowded field in his bid for a second term in 2017. De Blasio's campaign benefits from other elected Democrats declining to seek the office, a 6-to-1 registration advantage for Democrats in the city, and a sizable campaign finance advantage. Republican candidates [Nicole Malliotakis]( and Paul Massey have already secured the support of other political parties in the city, which will enable them to appear on multiple lines on the November ballot. Learn more about the dynamics of the mayoral race by [clicking here](. New York City is the [largest city]( in the U.S. by population. [A map of states in session] Partial government shutdown deadline approaches as Washington enters third special session On Wednesday, June 21, Washington Gov. [Jay Inslee]( (D) [called]( for a third special session to settle on a budget deal as the state approaches the end of the fiscal year on June 30, after which, without a budget, parts of the government will shut down. Budget negotiations in Washington have centered largely on the issue of funding [education](. In [2012]( the [Washington Supreme Court]( ruled that the state was underfunding education and required the legislature to ensure full funding for K-12 education by 2018. Inslee and Democratic lawmakers in the state have [proposed]( tax increases to bolster funding for education, while Republican lawmakers have argued that the state can meet most of the requirements of the 2012 state Supreme Court ruling without significant tax increases throughout the state. - Republicans and Democrats in Washington [disagree]( over the outline of the state’s two-year spending plan. Republicans back a $43 billion budget that reduces school district property-tax levies and increases property taxes in areas such as [King County]( where [Seattle]( is located. Democrats, on the other hand, back a $44.7 billion budget that includes $3 billion in new taxes, such as a capital gains tax and increases to some corporate taxes. Without a budget deal in place by midnight on June 30, non-essential parts of the government could shut down, possibly resulting in layoffs for as many as 32,000 state employees. A partial shutdown of the government in 2017 would be Washington’s [first]( in its history. Budget deals were not reached until June 30 in 2013 and 2015. - Washington’s [regular session]( lasted from January 9 to April 23. Special sessions have been ongoing since April 24. The one called by Inslee on Wednesday was the third. The cost of the first special session, which took place from April 24 to May 23, has been [estimated]( at $145,697.   - Washington is one of 19 states under [divided government](. Democrats 50-48 majority in the [House]( and control the governor’s office. Republicans control the [senate]( 25-24 due to one Democratic lawmaker who caucuses with Republicans. [Special elections]( to fill five seats in the Senate and three seats in the House will take place on November 7, 2017. The 2017 special elections give Democrats an opportunity to regain control of the Senate and restore a previously-held trifecta. A key race in the Senate will be [District 45](. [Andy Hill]( (R), who previously held the seat before dying of lung cancer in October 2016, won election to District 45 by less than two points in 2010. He won re-election in 2014 by five points. The district is located in [King County]( which Democrat [Hillary Clinton]( won in the [2016 presidential election]( by almost 50 points. Clinton won District 45 with [64 percent]( of the vote. [VoteSpotter Ad](www.votespotter.com/pr) Alaska passes an operating budget, potentially avoiding a government shutdown Like Washington, Alaska legislators also have state government shutdowns on their minds. On Thursday, June 22, the Alaska Legislature [passed]( an operating budget that will allow the state to avoid a government shutdown come July 1. The budget came out of negotiations between the two chambers in a special session [called]( by Gov. [Bill Walker]( (I) last week. The sole purpose of the session was to avoid a government shutdown, which, without a budget in place, was scheduled to start on July 1.  - The state is dealing with a projected [$2.5 billion]( deficit. In the Senate, the Republican majority [pushed]( for a one-year budget plan that would reallocate funds from the state’s [$60 billion Permanent Fund]( to cover government services for the upcoming fiscal year. The Permanent Fund is made up of oil revenue, and the state uses it to issue annual dividends to Alaskans. Last year, the dividend payout was [$1,022](. The 2015 dividend was $2,072. According to [Alaska Dispatch News]( the Senate budget plan would reduce dividends to $1,000 in 2017. The Senate also called for a 6 percent cut to education funding. A Democratic-led coalition controls the House and [proposed]( its own plan, which includes a state income tax and increased taxes on oil companies. Alaska is one seven states without an income tax. The House also [proposed]( dividends of $1,150.  - The [budget deal]( that the Legislature sent to the governor’s desk on Thursday pulls from state savings to address the projected deficit, sets dividends at $1,100, keeps education funding at current levels, and establishes more than $50 million in oil and gas tax credits. Gov. Walker [reportedly]( approves of the deal. - The [vote]( in the House for the operating budget was 31-8. The eight no votes were all Republicans. The vote in the Senate was 16-1. The single no vote was Republican [Shelley Hughes](. Her vote could cost her her membership in the majority caucus, which requires members to vote together on budgetary legislation. Hughes stated that she voted against the proposal because she considered spending levels to be too high and because of the reduced Permanent Fund dividends. “I understand the consequences of my vote,” [said]( Hughes.     - Alaska is one of 19 states under [divided government](. Gov. [Bill Walker]( is an independent. Republicans have a 14-6 majority in the Senate, while a coalition of 17 Democrats, three Republicans, and two independents control the House. - See also: [Minority and coalition control of state legislative chambers]( [Map of state government trifectas] Verbatim fact check: Does nearly 40 percent of Iowa's electricity come from wind? Secretary of Energy Rick Perry ordered a review of the impact of renewable energy policies on electric grid reliability. A Daily Caller article detailing criticisms of the review by the wind industry and others claimed that “Iowa gets nearly 40 percent of its electricity from wind turbines.” [Is this true? Ballotpedia’s Verbatim team fact-checked.]( An estimated 36.6 percent of electricity in Iowa was generated using wind power in 2016. Social welfare groups may lead to record spending in Charlotte’s mayoral race The advent of two independent, tax-exempt social welfare [groups]( may lead to record spending in [Charlotte's]( 2017 mayoral race. Unlike political action committees, these tax-exempt groups do not have to publicly disclose the names of their donors although they must report this information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Under North Carolina state law, the maximum an individual or group can donate to a campaign is $5,200 per election. The social welfare groups are exempt from this spending cap, meaning an individual or group can make unlimited contributions. Queen City Leadership (QCL) and Forward Charlotte (FC)—both newly-created nonprofit 501(c)(4)s—are defined by the federal government as social welfare organizations working to further the common good and general welfare of the people of the community. As such, the groups are permitted to openly engage in political activities, though political action cannot be their primary purpose for existence. Raising money for a candidate or campaigning for a candidate must be their secondary mission. According to the IRS, this means less than half of a social welfare group’s expenditures can go toward political activities. QCL openly supports Democratic challenger Joel Ford. While FC does not explicitly support Republican candidate Kenny Smith, the Republican-led group released a video calling on voters to elect new leaders. Both groups have said they would use television, direct mail, and digital advertising to provide voters with facts about candidates in the race. Supporters of the two organizations said the local business community wants a voice in the election, and is worried it won’t be heard over national and state gay rights groups. Opponents have voiced concern that these groups decrease transparency in elections and may be heavily influenced by the candidates. Charlotte is the largest city in North Carolina and the [16th-largest city]( in the U.S. by population. - A [primary election]( for mayor and all eleven city council seats is scheduled on September 12, 2017. If necessary, a primary runoff will be held on October 10, 2017, and the general election is scheduled on November 7, 2017. The candidate filing deadline for those wishing to run in the election is July 21, 2017. - The city, including Mayor [Jennifer Roberts]( (D), has faced national backlash after state [House Bill 2]( blocked the implementation of a city ordinance that would have allowed transgender individuals to use the bathroom of their choosing based on their gender identity and prevented businesses from discriminating against LGBTQ customers. [Image]( Kentucky’s Democratic Attorney General sues Republican Governor for the fourth time in less than two years. Tuesday, June 20, Kentucky Attorney General [Andy Beshear]( (D) initiated a [lawsuit]( against Gov. [Matt Bevin]( (R), arguing that Bevin’s decision to restructure state education boards was unconstitutional. Earlier in June, Bevin issued an [executive order]( that created a new charter school advisory board and added to the State Board of Education four non-voting members who are required to have five or more years of business leadership experience. The order also abolished or restructured several other education-related boards and committees. Beshear, in a lawsuit filed with the [Franklin Circuit Court]( argued that Bevin does not have the authority to make these changes.  “A governor does not have ‘absolute authority’ over state boards and cannot ignore, suspend and rewrite laws passed by the General Assembly that create independent boards, outline their structure and set mandatory terms for their members,” said Beshear. Bevin’s office disagrees, arguing that state law allows the governor to restructure boards and committees while the Legislature is not in session. Bevin added that former Gov. [Steve Beshear]( (D)—Andy Beshear’s father—issued more than 100 similar executive orders during his two terms in office (2007-2015). - The lawsuit marks the [fourth time]( that Beshear has sued the governor’s office since Bevin took office in 2015. The [Kentucky Supreme Court]( will hear a [lawsuit]( brought by Beshear against Bevin in August concerning changes made by the governor to the University of Louisville’s board of trustees. - Kentucky is one of [nine states]( throughout the country with a Republican governor and a Democratic attorney general. Four states have a Democratic governor and a Republican attorney general. - See also: [Conflicts between governors and attorneys general]( [Click here for the full review of the week in state and local politics]( Ballotpedia depends on the support of our readers. The Lucy Burns Institute, publisher of Ballotpedia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. Donations to the Lucy Burns Institute or Ballotpedia do not support any candidates or campaigns. [Donate Securely Online]( Decide which emails you receive from Ballotpedia. 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