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ALBANY, N.Y. — Cornered outside of the press offices this morning, State Senator-turned-Democratic-Conference-Leader John Sampson said he was still planning to push his own school governance bill.

Asked whether he would support Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s plan, Sampson said that while the Democrats still had to discuss Silver’s bill, he wants “to put forth” the bill that he supported: the “Better Schools Act.” The bill would end the mayor’s ability to appoint the majority of the 13 members of the Panel for Educational Policy.

“I would like to … look at their bill and look at our bill and see if there can be some compromise,” he said.

Asked whether the Democrats were going to allow the bill to expire without a vote, Sampson replied, “You shouldn’t ask us that question, you should ask Senator Skelos that question. You know, we’ve got to come to some sort of agreement, so until then, as I would say, to be continued.”

Asked what would happen if the Assembly passed the bill and then left Albany, Sampson said: “If we are out of town,we can’t make any changes, therefore you have no school governance.”

Senator Bill Perkins, another supporter of the “Better Schools Act” said last night he was optimistic that the Senate would be able to insert fixed terms into the bill. Of Silver’s bill, he said: “From what I heard, it’s not something that I would want to vote for.”

ALBANY, NY — One branch of the state government is functioning today. Lawmakers in the Assembly pushed Silver’s mayoral control bill through the ways and means committee this afternoon, readying the bill for a final vote tomorrow.

The bill immediately passed with no discussion. At least three Assembly members voted against Silver’s plan, including Mark Weprin and Jeff Aubry of Queens and Deborah Glick of Manhattan.

Aubry said he was concerned that the bill did not place fixed terms on members of the citywide school board and that it gives the mayor a majority of the appointees to the Panel for Educational Policy. Both he and Glick are supporters of the “Better Schools Act.”

Tomorrow, the Assembly will vote on the bill, and even its most vocal critics agree that its passage is guaranteed.

UPDATE 2 (from Elizabeth): Billy Easton of the Campaign for Better Schools points out that nothing is final, even if the Assembly bill passes. “Tomorrow is an Assembly vote on their initial proposal,” he said. “That does not mean that that’s the final vote that they will take on this matter. We have to see what unfolds.” Easton added that lobbyists for the campaign are meeting with members from both the Assembly and the Senate.

Exactly how negotiations between the two houses will unfold, however, is almost impossible to figure out. Anna reports from Albany that she only persuaded one senator to talk to her about mayoral control today — and his response was to say, “It can’t stay the way it is,” and walk away laughing. (more…)

ALBANY, NY — Legislators in the Assembly have roughly 24 hours to amend Silver’s mayoral control bill before it’s voted on, but at this stage, change is practically impossible.

Assemblyman Alan Maisel, one of five education committee members to vote against the bill, said those who oppose Silver’s plan were making no efforts to convert its supporters. “I’m not recruiting anybody,” Maisel said, adding that the bill would surely pass the Assembly tomorrow.

Half of the 10 lawmakers from New York City who sit on the Assembly education committee voted against Silver’s bill.

Joan Millman, who sponsored a bill that would enact the Commission on School Governance’s recommendations, said she voted voted no for three reasons. “The sunset is too long. I would have liked it to be a shorter period of time, so if we need to fix it, it’s easier to correct,” she said, adding that she “would have wanted the chancellor to be an educator,” and the Panel for Educational Policy members to have fixed terms. (more…)