‘Politics’ v. Playing Chicken

State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan wants a deal, but Mayor de Blasio insists on playing chicken.

Flanagan on Monday released three different bills for one-, two- and five-year extensions of mayoral control of the city’s schools, with longer renewals tied to greater support for alternative educational choices.

Every version lifts the cap on new charter schools in the city; the five-year one also includes a state Education Tax Credit to support private and parochial tuition.

De Blasio’s take came in a Monday statement: “Mayoral control is a proven governance model that shouldn’t be held hostage to political horse-trading.”

Yet Mayor Mike Bloomberg did huge horse-trading (including huge teacher-pay hikes) to win and then to renew control.

Last year’s one-year renewal had a trade, too: Flanagan insisted on more financial reporting from the city — greater assurance that billions in state aid isn’t going to waste.

As Post readers know, there’s ample reason to question the mayor’s stewardship, from the expensive fiasco of the Renewal Schools program to the many “educators” languishing in the Absent Teacher Reserve.

Flanagan’s “political” interest is in boosting educational choice in the form of charters and other alternative schools. Tens of thousands of city families are waiting for charter seats to open up, but the mayor’s not interested in what those constituents want.

De Blasio’s other answer to the offered compromises is to renew his drive to flip the Senate to mainline Democratic control. (Ironically, his 2014 effort at that had its own “horse-trading” — of City Hall access and favors for those who gave big to the cause.)

Oh, and the mayor hasn’t spoken with the majority leader about the control issue since March. He wants his way, and that’s that.

Compromise here only means more opportunity for city children. But de Blasio, as ever, insists on playing politics his way.