Mayoral control? A state-appointed monitor? A community school model?

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would support any of these ideas or others if the community would propose to him an actionable plan to reform the struggling Rochester City School District.

"I will support whatever system the locality wants," he said.

His comments came Wednesday during a meeting with the Democrat and Chronicle's Editorial Board to discuss the accomplishments of his two terms in office and his bid for re-election.

In large part, however, the governor's hands are tied when it comes to education reform, as state law gives oversight of the system to the state Education Department and leaves the responsibility for developing the system largely to local communities.

"The only involvement I have with K-12 education is negotiating the budget and changing laws," said Cuomo.

He said the local control model — one that is strongly supported in the majority of school districts across the state — can result in a leadership vacuum where no single person has to take responsibility for school failures, a case of "blame everybody, but blame nobody."

Cuomo said he is already a fan of mayoral control of schools, although a plan he backed in Buffalo for just that died in Albany in 2015. He said the model has proved effective in New York City and Chicago. True school reform can't come without massive change, he said.

"You have to pick a new model if the old model is flawed," said Cuomo. "When the foundation is corroded, you don't waste time on minor alterations."

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren issued a statement Wednesday evening.

"Like the governor, I am very concerned about the future of Rochester’s schools particularly given the Superintendent’s recently announced departure,” Warren said. “I am committed to working in partnership with parents, teachers and other stakeholders to ensure that our children receive a fighting chance at life. It has been my mission to fight for more jobs, safer more vibrant neighborhoods and better educational opportunities for all of our kids and we await the coming ‘Distinguished Educator Report’ for insight into the path forward.”

Warren has consistently said she is not interested in overseeing the school district. She did float the concept of a "receivership district," which would have blurred the line of district and mayoral control, but the idea never gained traction. Even then, she was careful to say she was not advocating for mayoral control, something she repeated during her 2017 campaign for re-election.

Cuomo also used his visit to tout what he said are his administration's economic successes in upstate New York. He noted the unemployment rate has fallen from 7.7 percent to 3.6 percent since 2010, that there are a record number of private-sector jobs in the region and that his property tax cap saved Finger Lakes families more than $2 billion through 2017.

Additionally, he said upstate has seen unprecedented state investment in revitalization and economic development, to the tune of more than $44 billion.

"We have invested more and did so intelligently by going to each regional economy to make a plan for each region," he said.

He noted that personal income and business tax rates are down while wages have increased during his two terms in office.

As well, Cuomo said, for the first time in decades, young people are staying and coming back to the Finger Lakes region.

"When your young people are leaving because they are seeking opportunities elsewhere, that spells a death knell," he said, providing statistics that show the number of residents in this area between the ages of 25 and 34 has grown by 12.6 percent from 2010 to 2017 and the number of people in that age group in Monroe County has increased by 15.4 percent.

"We have a lot more work to do, but every arrow is pointed in the right direction," he said.

Cuomo is on the ballot Nov. 6, seeking his third term in office. He is opposed by Republican Mark Molinaro, the current Dutchess County executive.

During his visit on Wednesday, Cuomo also announced the completion of a $79.4 million modernization project at the Greater Rochester International Airport. That project enhanced security monitoring and handicapped accessibility and added a new passenger drop-off area. The terminal was redesigned to include new shopping and dining options and a renovated façade.

A new exterior canopy includes solar panels to provide energy and a 40,000-gallon rainwater collection system for irrigation and landscaping. The airport is the first in upstate now to have facial recognition and object-left-behind identification technology.

"Modern transportation infrastructure is key to bringing new jobs and economic growth to the Finger Lakes region, and the new and improved Greater Rochester International Airport will do just that," Cuomo said.

MCDERMOT@Gannett.com

Includes reporting by staff writer Justin Murphy.