Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch…Upon hearing the news that his proposal to do away with a democratically elected board of education and replace it with one made up of people appointed by him, Bridgeport’s Mayor said, “While I believe that the New York, Boston and Providence model would have ensured greater progress for our schools and better results for our students, I will devote an equal amount of energy to improving our schools, accepting that the current model of government means that I have no legal authority to direct our school system.”
Although there is absolutely no evidence that cities with boards of education that are appointed by mayors have better academic results than do cities that have boards elected by the people, clearly Bridgeport’s mayor is upset that his record-breaking campaign to wrestle control of the board away from the voters was unsuccessful.
Finch may find it comforting to know that he wasn’t the only mayor to get slapped around
