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State appears unlikely to give mayor control of Buffalo schools

WBFO News file photo

As lawmakers return to Albany to wrap up the legislative session the dean of the the local delegation says there's little support for giving Mayor Byron Brown control of the struggling Buffalo Schools.

"I would absolutely vote no," answered Assemblyman Robin Schimminger when asked about the proposed legislation.

"I've made known publicly and privately this idea of undoing something which was long in coming in Buffalo, which was an elected school board. "

Schimminger says the idea of an appointed school board just welled up in recent months. Jaws dropped when the bill was introduced.

"Since this arose as a possibility in April I've been out getting the opinion of people and overwhelmingly the opinion of people is don't do this."

Schimminger believes there is little support for the bill proposed by Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples Stokes.

"There's one person supporting it."

That sentiment was echoed by State Senator Robert Ortt who says in recent weeks there's been no serious discussion of mayoral control of Buffalo Schools in the Senate.