Editorial: Can mayor manage to make the grade?

On September 5, 2002, Mayor Michael Bloomberg took on yet another role. Not only is he responsible for the city's police department, contract negotiations with city employees and closing a $5 billion budget gap; the Mayor is now in charge of the education of 1.1 million children in the city's public schools.

Last July - just seven months after taking office - Mr. Bloomberg succeeded where his predecessors failed. He convinced the state legislature to pass the school governance bill, which granted him administrative control over the nation's largest school system. The bill also effectively stripped power from the Board of Education and the 32 community school boards, who had a hand in picking district superintendents.

Although not responsible for the day-to-day operations - that is left to the schools chancellor, who reports directly to the mayor - the task is still daunting. Mr. Bloomberg has to find a way to turn around a school system that, in years past, has come under fire for corruption, mismanagement and a generally abysmal record in student performance. And he has only seven years.

With his new power, Mr. Bloomberg appointed a new chancellor, Joel Klein. He also dismantled the seven-member Board of Education, and replaced it with the Department of Education. That department is comprised of thirteen members - eight approved by the mayor and one parent representative from each of the five boroughs. Mr. Bloomberg is poised to run the school system the way he runs the city - like a business.

Will the Mayor succeed? It is too early to tell, but there is a lot of room for improvement. The community boards that were eliminated, for instance, were often ineffective and sometimes corrupt. Although concerned about the potential harm mayoral control could bring - including less parental representation in their child's education - the Horizon chooses to reserve judgment. With the less than stellar performance the previous system has shown, Mr. Bloomberg deserves a chance to prove that his way works.