A little thing like legality was not going to stop the local Community Education Council from conducting its monthly business.

For the first time in six years, community education councils across New York City were not legally obligated to meet this month. This is because Mayor Bloomberg’s control over New York City public schools ended on June 30 and has yet to be renewed by the New York State legislature.

But education councils, including the one in District 10, which represents a large swath of the northwest Bronx, are continuing to pursue their agendas.

Bloomberg created the councils when he first gained mayoral control over public schools in 2003. The councils were installed to advise Bloomberg’s Panel for Education Policy, which he appoints, and to approve school zoning lines. There is a council of 12 members for each school district.

Even though the councils are no longer legally a part of the Department of Education,  the District 10 council loyally marched into their meeting at PS 54 in Fordham on July 16.

District 10 Council President Marvin Shelton said Schools Chancellor Joel Klein encouraged all the councils to continue meeting as if mayoral control will be renewed.

At the meeting last week, the council held in-house elections for the president, vice presidents, and treasurer. Shelton was once again elected president. During a short speech, he expressed his plans to “help parents better understand their roles.”

State Senate Democrats also want to provide training for parents who would like to be more involved in their children’s education in a bill renewing mayoral control. The problem is that the bill includes modifications, such as parental training, a commission to study school violence and an improved cultural curriculum, that Bloomberg isn’t happy about.

Instead of working on a compromise, the State Senate, still reeling from a month-long stalemate,  is leaving the issue of mayor control unresolved for the summer and probably won’t decide on it until at least September.  

When asked if he thought that the bill for mayoral control would pass through the Senate, Shelton said, “I don’t think the Senate has the energy at this point” to deal with it. Even though Shelton would “like to see independent parent training,” he was not hopeful about seeing a change in the mayoral control bill.

Under the mayoral control system, Shelton said he believes councils have “no power” since they only advise the mayor. Nonetheless, Shelton and his fellow volunteer council members will continue to show up for work.