Zohran Mamdani has reversed his position on ending mayoral control of New York City’s public schools, announcing that he will instead seek to retain the governance structure while promising greater community involvement in decision-making.
The shift was unveiled Wednesday during a press conference in which Mamdani formally named Kamar Samuels as chancellor. The move marks a notable departure from Mamdani’s campaign pledge to dismantle mayoral control, a system he had long criticized for limiting the influence of parents, educators, and students.
Mamdani acknowledged some lingering concerns about mayoral control but stressed the importance of accountability, saying that New Yorkers “need to know where the buck stops” with him. He added that his administration would pursue reforms to make community engagement “tangible and actionable.”
Under state law, mayoral control must be periodically renewed by the Legislature. Mamdani indicated he would seek an extension of his authority this year, signaling continuity with a system in place since 2002, when state lawmakers dissolved the city’s elected school boards at the urging of then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The announcement coincided with the selection of Samuels, a veteran educator who most recently served as superintendent of Manhattan’s District 3. Mamdani described the appointment as a generational change in leadership, asserting, “This moment demands a new generation of leadership that both understands our school system and has a transformative vision on how to remake it.”
Samuels, who will assume the role Thursday, inherits a school system overseeing more than 1,500 schools and a $40 billion operating budget, amid persistent challenges including student homelessness, chronic absenteeism, and an ongoing overhaul of early literacy instruction.
