Colleges Chancellor Kamar Samuels affirmed Tuesday that he desires to increase mayoral management by one other 4 years, a reversal of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s marketing campaign pledge to eliminate the system.
Samuels stated he backs Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal for a four-year extension of the present system, during which the mayor, relatively than an elected faculty board, runs the general public faculty system by appointing the chancellor and most members of the primary oversight panel that units schooling coverage.
Throughout testimony earlier than the Metropolis Council’s Schooling Committee, Samuels stated elevated “household empowerment” would strengthen the governance construction, which he dubbed “mayoral accountability.” Mayoral management is about to run out in June 2026.
“I imagine mayoral accountability and household empowerment can and should coexist,” he stated. “Our youngsters deserve each the centralized oversight and execution that permit for actual, impactful change and the native enter and decision-making that give our households a significant say.”
Samuels stated centralized authority below the mayor helps the Division of Schooling transfer extra rapidly on systemwide objectives, akin to complying with the state’s class dimension mandate, by permitting town to shift college students and sources between neighboring faculties with totally different enrollment ranges.
New York Metropolis should slash classroom sizes throughout the board by 2027-28 below the legislation, and Mamdani has put forth a $12 million-plan to rent 1,000 new academics a yr to fulfill the mandate.
Throughout his mayoral marketing campaign, Mamdani vowed to finish mayoral management of the most important public faculty district within the nation, arguing that the construction sidelined group voices within the system.
However after getting elected, Mamdani reversed course, saying his assist to resume mayoral management as he launched Samuels as the brand new faculties chancellor, overseeing greater than 900,000 college students at some 1,800 faculties.
Most council members throughout Tuesday’s listening to stated additionally they supported mayoral management, however a number of pushed for stronger checks and balances.
Councilman Eric Dinowitz (D-Bronx), the schooling committee chair, pressed for better contract oversight and transparency necessities for the DOE.
Samuels additionally fielded questions on President Trump’s unlawful immigration crackdown throughout the listening to.
Councilwoman Jennifer Gutiérrez (D-Brooklyn) requested if the DOE had a unified method for potential encounters with federal immigration brokers.
Samuels stated the administration views faculties as “secure havens” and described procedures akin to buzzer entry methods and protocols requiring faculty security brokers to query guests and alert principals when legislation enforcement seems at a faculty.
A senior DOE official stated town has created trainings on how to reply to doable US Immigration and Customs Enforcement exercise, with periods supplied on-line and in individual for principals, superintendents and different workers.
The official stated the periods are technically voluntary however attendance is “inspired” and “monitored” by superintendents, notably in communities with excessive numbers of immigrant households.
