As the state’s Education Department studies the 20-year-old system of mayoral control, public hearings have shown widespread dissatisfaction, with calls for revisions or overturning. Critics, as ourselves, argue that the system concentrates too much power in the mayor’s hands, diminishing local community voices, while defenders emphasize centralized decision-making for efficiency. Mayoral control is set to expire on June 30. While the public hearings concluded this past Monday, the study’s findings are expected in March.