Considerable controversy surrounds discussion of a mayor's role in public education. From a policy perspective, however, it is essential that every mayor help improve schools. This issue of the quarterly newsletter of the Center for Mental Health in Schools includes the following features and regular segments: (1) Open letter to the Mayor--A…

Mayor John Lindsay of New York City discusses city-state relations in the area of financing public school education. (MK)

Contracting out has cut government costs and raised service levels in many cases. It has, however, also been associated with waste, inefficiency, and graft. Legal and contractual protections may insure public employees against loss of work or reduction in benefits from subcontracting. (Author/IRT)

"Monell" has made clear that local governmental bodies are "persons" under Section 1983 and are no longer absolutely immune to Section 1983 civil rights suits. It is not clear if such bodies have qualified immunity. Available from School of Law, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701. (Author/IRT)

Like many urban reform strategies, mayoral leadership in education has both proponents and skeptics. On the one hand, proponents argue that mayor-led initiatives have the potential to transform low-performing schools and to hold schools and students accountable to systemwide standards. On the other hand, skeptics see mayoral involvement as…

Discusses court cases dealing with whether a community may ban newsracks, how much discretion city officials may exercise in regulating vending machines, and what limitations in display and placement are reasonable. Finds that acceptable city ordinances are narrow and content neutral. (RS)

All political scientists who study education policy start their analysis with a similar premise: "educational reform does not take place in political vacuum." Studies of the politics of school choice have focused primarily on state-level political dynamics. This line of research makes sense since the charter school market is initially…

The Civic Center in Scarborough, Ontario, has an open interior design that incorporates an atrium. Fire protection elements include automatic sprinklers, provisions for efficient exiting of building occupants, and smoke evacuation by gravity exhaust. (Available from 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, $15.00 annually.) (Author/MLF)

This publication is directed toward city auditors in North Dakota's "small towns" where the city auditor is either a volunteer or a very limited part-time position. Duties and responsibilities of the North Dakota city auditor as provided by statute are outlined. These topics are covered: the office and general duties of city auditor;…

To defend a budget successfully, knowledge of the community and its governmental structure is a necessity. Guidelines for the presentation of a library budget to the Board of Trustees, city officials, and the municipal government are provided. (Author/MBR)

In the early nineteenth century, Boston was a small, pleasant seaport, but the large influx of immigrants after 1840 led to overcrowding in unsanitary housing for the newcomers. Gradually public pressure forced local government to pass legislation in 1868 which set minimum standards of light, ventilation, and safety for housing. (IS)

This directory compiles state and local information about New York State IT (Information Technology) organizations, their leadership, and staff, in order to facilitate communications that can leverage the experiences of others and better enable pursuance of collaborative efforts to improve the return on the public's investment in New York's…

The origin, composition and function of New York State's Environmental Conservation Commissions is illustrated by examples of successful commissions. Sources of information on the legislative base and on the methods of establishing a commission to work with local governments are included. (AL)