The letter contends that mayor-controlled school systems lack accountability.

"The mayors of our cities and their appointees now feel empowered to ignore the priorities of parents, teachers and other stakeholders in the system, and have imposed radical changes from above without reference to research, experience or conditions on the ground," states the letter. "This has resulted in more chaos, violence and worsening opportunities for many of our students."

Leonie Haimson, a New York parent activist, drafted the letter with Julie Woestehoff, head of Chicago-based Parents United for Responsible Education. The two are working to gather signatures from parents in both cities before delivering the letter to parent groups in Los Angeles.

Haimson, who runs the group Class Size Matters, said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's recent refusal to ease a ban on student cell phones, despite widespread insistence among parents, exemplified a need for more checks and balances.

"We just wanted to warn L.A. that mayoral control should not be added to the problems that we share," she said.