Assembly Democrats Join Calls To Ax N.Y.C. School Board

By Jeff Archer

Democratic leaders in the New York Assembly have joined New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, the City Council, and other state and local officials in calling for the elimination of the city's current school board.

Sheldon Silver, the speaker of the legislature's lower house, announced on Feb. 15 the proposed elimination of the current board structure by 2000 as part of an overall plan to reorganize the governance of the nation's largest school system.

Though elements of the proposal differ widely from a reform plan offered by the mayor last fall, Mr. Sheldon's announcement puts nearly every major player in the state behind the movement to overhaul...