Constance Miller, a D.C.-based pubic policy consultant on youth issues, writes in with a look at how new mayor Adrian Fenty's plan for mayoral control is playing out so far:

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” And if it’s really, really broke – replace it.

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty was swept into office last November on his promise to take control and accountability for reforming the district’s failing school system. No more passing the buck for school failure. Actually, a lot of bucks: D.C. spends more per student than any urban school district, yet is besieged by shockingly low student performance rates and substandard school facilities.

While Fenty hit the ground running, seeking input nationwide as he fleshed out his plan, D.C. city council’s new chairman Vince Gray was creating a key role for the council. Aware that all members would want a piece of the education action, he created a committee-of-the-whole for education which he would chair. The Mayor needed buy-in from a majority of the council to make school reform a reality; he couldn’t do it by fiat.

The chairman, who is widely respected, convened the committee, which then held hearings with youth, parents, community members, experts in the field, the mayor and his senior staff and other officials (Mayor Bloomberg included). Subsequently, the mayor and his deputy mayor for education met with individual council members where concerns and issues were raised.

On the bill’s first reading earlier this month, it passed 9 to 2; it is scheduled for a final vote on April 19. Under the plan, the council takes over line-item budget control from the current school board.

Fenty’s plan has its critics and has generated lots of discussion, which is good. During the Mayor’s race, several council members and candidates were opposed to or openly skeptical of of his plan, as were a vocal minority of constituents. In part, these objections were based on the claim that mayoral control undercuts true representative democracy in the district. But other than using this hot-button issue as an organizing tool, it's hard to see how mayoral control endangers representative government.

One claim is that the Mayor’s plan “emasculates” the board. But, how can you emasculate a gelding? When has it made any difference who’s elected to the board, which obviously has had minimal impact on the district’s Kafkaesque central office? (I bet that most district residents don’t know the name of their school board representative, let alone the names of one or two others. I don’t.)

Someone must be held accountable for an education system that “does right” by the city’s children, parents, dedicated teachers and principals. Now there will be – and everyone knows his name.