BUFFALO, N.Y. --- It’s been a topic of conversation for months, but speaking out for the first time Tuesday, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said he would be willing to take control of the Buffalo Public School District, if necessary.
"I am not asking for it, I am not campaigning for it, I am not lobbying for it," said Brown, D-Buffalo. "Like others, I am frustrated with the lack of better outcomes in the school district. I think our children deserve better."
A proposal from Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes could make it a reality, as early as June.
"I think you have to, at some point, be able to hold somebody accountable for what the administration is or is not doing," said Stokes.
While that can be done in several ways, Brown said proposed legislation cited a similar takeover in New York City. That move would allow Brown to appoint school board members and the superintendent, but he cautioned it would only be short-term.
"There should be a sunset provision in that legislation, whether it be two years or three years for the community to then reevaluate," Brown said. "For the community and all of the stakeholders to take a hard look at whether or not the change in governance is actually working and producing better outcomes for the children in the Buffalo Public Schools."
Brown said he would need overwhelming community support before he would consider making that move. It also needs the approval of the state legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo's signature. On Sunday, Peoples-Stokes said it’s a move Cuomo already indicated he would make.