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New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Zohran Mamdani's plan to undo mayoral control of NYC schools would be ‘terrible mistake,' experts warn
The educational priorities of socialist Big Apple mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani could undermine progress in the nation's largest school system, veteran education experts warn. The Democratic Party candidate was the only hopeful who said he wants to gut mayoral control of the city school system — a set-up that has been in place since 2002 and supported by former Mayors Mike Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio and current Hizzoner Eric Adams. 'Zohran supports an end to mayoral control and envisions a system instead in which parents, students, educators and administrators work together to create the school environments in which students and families will best thrive—strengthening co-governance,' his campaign platform says. Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani accepting the endorsement of the United Federation of Teachers at its Manhattan headquarters on July 9, 2025. Matthew McDermott Mamdani repeated during a NY1 interview last week that he wanted to go beyond a mayor having an 'automatic majority' of appointments to the Panel for Educational Policy. The socialist Democrat, who was endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers after he overwhelmingly won the Dem primary last month, said he is on the same wavelength as the union, which has long fought to reduce the mayor's authority over the school system. 'I've seen this as something the union was also advocating for in the past … a changing of the composition of the board,' Mamdani said. Education experts questioned Mamdani's approach. 'It would be a terrible mistake to take away the mayor's majority on the Panel for Education Policy,' said Ray Damonico, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a veteran researcher who previously worked in the city public school system. Mamdani said he agrees with the UFT's view on mayoral control. Matthew McDermott The biggest advancements in New York City education systems were during the first 12 years of mayoral control under Bloomberg, when low-performing schools were closed and replaced with charter schools and other smaller, experimental schools, Damonico said. Mamdani also is out of touch with the working class and low-income parents he claims to represent who enroll their kids in charter schools, he argued. 'Mamdani is not a fan of charter schools. He's a fan of the teachers' union,' Damonico said. Hunter College urban affairs professor Joseph Viteritti, who served as senior adviser to Schools Chancellor Frank Macchiorola, opposed diluting the mayor's authority over the school system, too. 'You need to focus on accountability and responsibility somewhere. It gives the mayor a direct stake in the process,' Viteritti said. He said proper checks can be put in place on the PEP without diluting City Hall's responsibility for schools. CUNY Graduate Center education Professor David Bloomfield said Mamdani 'doesn't seem to have a thought-through policy' on schools, as he does in other areas. He said mayoral control is better than 'education by committee.' But Mamdani, if he's elected, could be more inclusive in his decision-making by having an open search to select the next schools chancellor, instead of making a unilateral choice, Bloomfield said. Mamdani has said the mayor should still appoint the schools chancellor, as is the case now, and that ultimately the mayor is responsible for educating students. The leading candidate insisted he didn't want to return to the much-maligned city Board of Education, when the mayor had two of seven appointments. He also insisted his goal was to get more parents and educators engaged in school policy through various advisory boards, such as community education councils. The state law on New York City school governance is up for renewal next June. During a private meeting with tech executives last week, an attendee who is a charter-school parent asked Mamdani about his position on the popular alternative to public schools. Mamdani said he is 'skeptical' of charter schools, citing 'equity' issues and higher suspension rates for their students — though many charter-school students are poor or working class. 'I agree with your assessment that public education, for the most part, is not working as it should be,' he told the parent. He told the tech executives that he's interested in 'efficiency' and curbing costly consultant contracts awarded by the city Department of Education. A rep for Mayor Eric Adams called Mamdani's proposed to undo mayoral control of schools 'reckless and irresponsible. 'It would take us back to a time when New York City's school system was mired in dysfunction, with no clear accountability and no one in charge,' Adams campaign spokesman Todd Shapiro said. 'While Mamdani talks about pulling power from the mayor, Mayor Adams is focused on keeping our kids learning, safe, and supported. He fought to extend mayoral control because he believes one person should be responsible — and that person is the mayor New Yorkers elect.' In general, education has gotten short shrift during the mayoral campaign with little talk about a drop in enrollment, high absenteeism and stagnant test scores, the school watchdogs said.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Don't expect Zohran Mamdani — or any other mayoral candidate — to fix New York City's troubled schools
Our city's school system is in deep trouble: Enrollment is down, and chronic absenteeism is at record highs. One-party rule in Albany and City Hall has caused much of this, with legislators throwing money at the system with no guardrails in place to hold schools accountable for student performance. It's hard to see any meaningful change coming from this year's mayoral election. Zohran Mamdani has the simplest education platform of the remaining candidates. 5 Mamdani has no grasp of what has and hasn't worked over the last 50 years. Getty Images The Democrat intends to push 'an end to mayoral control,' envisioning 'a system instead in which parents, students, educators and administrators work together to create the school environments in which students and families will best thrive.' This lacks understanding of the complexity of the nation's largest school system and any grasp of what has and hasn't worked over the last 50 years. Albany lawmakers have tried and failed to create a system in which families, educators and administrators could work together for children's betterment since the onset of so-called decentralization in 1969. City and state consensus by 2002 was that strong mayoral control bested a reliance on ineffective boards a ridiculously small number of voters elected. 5 United Federation of Teachers members protest to demand a new contract and higher pay. Pacific Press/LightRocket via Ge The system's budget is huge, more than $41 billion, with per-pupil spending twice the national average. The employees and contractors who live off that largesse have amassed political power to keep the money flowing while avoiding accountability for outcomes. The Legislature and City Council often rely on campaign contributions, reinforcing their willingness to spend without any clear accountability agenda. 5 Adams hasn't made any much-needed big reforms. Stephen Yang Only the mayor has the power and influence to put children first, but he must use it forcefully as Mayor Mike Bloomberg did and Mayor Bill de Blasio failed to do. Mamdani is not the only problem here; he's just more direct in stating he'll try to free himself from responsibility for the school system. In many ways, his opponents have already adopted the agenda of education employees and contractors, promising to spend more on a system that's losing enrollment and producing poor and stagnant results for children. They propose programs that've been tried and failed, ignoring the critical elements that led to improvement in educational opportunity during the Bloomberg years. 5 Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York President Wai Wah Chin speaks at a protest on the steps of City Hall before a 2019 council hearing on specialized high schools. Natan Dvir Curtis Sliwa wants to end waste and move money from the bureaucracy to the classroom. The Republican also wants to protect selective-high-school entrance exams and expand gifted-and-talented middle-school programs, arts education and vocational instruction. These are all good things, but he doesn't offer a vision for assessing if the expanded programs are working. Sliwa also pledges to increase teacher salaries but doesn't indicate what would be the return on investment. Long-shot candidate Jim Walden proposes to raise teacher salaries and introduce merit pay in the city's neediest schools. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposes to transform a 'fragmented and siloed system' into a unified continuum from early childhood through career prep or college — with little talk of accountability attached. He talks about 'evidence-based models' but points to community schools and class-size reductions as examples. 5 Sliwa embraces the failed 'more-money approach.' Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post De Blasio wasted $700 million on a community-school approach to improving low-performing schools that failed completely. The evidence on reducing class sizes is limited to select grades and hasn't translated well to large-scale adoption. Mayor Adams rightly takes credit for his NYC Reads initiative and preserving the specialized high schools. His administration has taken slight steps to consolidate some small schools but hasn't forcefully used all the power of mayoral control to bring about change on a larger scale. It's a shame none of the candidates accepts that the 'more-money approach' hasn't worked. Professional competence is critical, and the system needs reorganization to bring that into practice. After steep enrollment declines, the system has too many schools and too many local districts. Strategic consolidation at both levels could strengthen efficiency and managerial competence and allow the mayor to do more to improve school practice. It is guaranteed the Legislature and council would oppose this, as it would derail the gravy train. The federal government has thrown a life raft to the forces of education reform through the enactment of a federal tax credit for contributions to organizations offering scholarships or educational-savings accounts that can be used in public, private and charter schools. Unfortunately, states must volunteer to participate in this program, and opposition to meaningful school choice is fierce in New York. State elections in 2026 loom as the only opportunity to fix the politics that put spending over performance and have crippled our school system. Ray Domanico is a Manhattan Institute senior fellow.
Newsweek
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Zohran Mamdani's Momentum Shows No Sign of Slowing Down
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The momentum of Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, shows no sign of slowing, according to recent poll figures. The 33-year-old democratic socialist shocked pollsters last month when he beat former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo - a veteran of the centrist establishment - in the Democratic primary. Now, 40 percent of likely voters polled by Data for Progress (DfP) say they would vote for Mamdani if the mayoral election was held tomorrow. Why It Matters New York's mayoral contest is being closely watched as it could determine the direction of the city as well as the Democratic Party as a whole on issues of affordability, public safety and social policy. The race is being seen as a litmus test for a party looking to recover from last November's election losses. The DfP polling puts Mamdani ahead of Cuomo and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, both of whom are standing as independent candidates. Despite Mamdani's progressive base, the broader Democratic Party establishment has not unified behind the state Assemblyman and his platform sharply departs from establishment policies. Some Democrats fear his campaign pledges - rent freezes to make the city more affordable for low-income New Yorkers, city-owned grocery stores, no-cost child care and "Trump-proofing" city administration - could alienate centrist and independent voters needed for a general election victory. Mamdani has faced criticism from Republicans too. President Donald Trump has described him as a "Communist Lunatic", while some Republicans have urged the Trump administration to revoke his citizenship and deport him. Supporters of Mamdani, an American citizen who was born in Uganda, have dismissed the calls as bigoted and Islamophobic. However, criticism has seemingly not slowed his campaign's momentum. What To Know Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani speaking as he is endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers in downtown Manhattan on July 9 2025. Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani speaking as he is endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers in downtown Manhattan on July 9 2025. Kaite Godowski/MediaPunch /IPX If the mayoral race were held tomorrow, 40 percent of those polled by DfP would vote for Mamdani, while 25 percent would vote for Cuomo and 15 percent would vote for Adams, with 14 percent backing Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, and one percent voting for the independent candidate Jim Walden. Some 47 percent of independent voters polled had a very or somewhat favorable view of Mamdani, while only 30 percent of them had a very or somewhat favorable view of the Democratic Party as a whole. Only seven percent of Republican poll respondents viewed Mamdani in a very or somewhat favorable light. According to poll respondents, the three most important issues in the race are "crime and public safety," "economy, jobs and inflation," and "housing". The poll surveyed 756 likely voters between July 1 and July 6 with a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points. What People Are Saying Zohran Mamdani on X (formerly Twitter), following the Democratic mayoral primary: "We live in the most expensive city in the United States. Running on a bold economic agenda to lower costs and make life easier for working people was at the heart of our success." Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi said after the primary: "We'll be continuing conversations with people from all across the city while determining next steps. Extremism, division and empty promises are not the answer to this city's problems, and while this was a look at what motivates a slice of our primary electorate, it does not represent the majority." Eric Adams on X, on July 11: "Zohran Mamdani studied poverty. I lived it. He's an academic elitist with plans he can't implement, or worse, that would hurt working-class New Yorkers." Curtis Sliwa on X, on July 9: "While Cuomo and Adams fight like children in the schoolyard telling each other to drop out, I'm out in the streets talking to New Yorkers about the issues that matter - public safety, affordability, and quality of life - which is what my campaign is about... I'm the only one who can beat Mamdani and bring real change." What Happens Next New York City voters will vote for their next mayor on November 4.
New York Post
13-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
The UFT's Mamdani support: Letters to the Editor — July 14, 2025
The Issue: The United Federation of Teachers endorsing Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani. The fact that the New York City United Federation of Teachers endorsed Zohran Mamdani sends a message to citizens about what we can expect from our schools, which are bad enough already ('Selling Out NYC's Kids,' Editorial, July 10). We are teetering on the brink. This man will put us directly down the drain. Electing him will push an even bigger flight of the hard-working middle class right out of the city. Who will then pay for all the entitlements he wants to push? The choice is not good, and another candidate needs to drop out to avoid splitting the anti-Mamdani vote. Who it will be depends on how much they love this city. We need to vote, and sometimes the devil you know is better than the real devil. Maureen Sharkey Brooklyn With the teachers union now backing Mamdani, it will be interesting to see where he stands on school vouchers, since they're routine in Scandinavian countries, which serve as his democratic socialist paradigm. The middle class pays the bulk of taxes in countries like Sweden to support generous welfare benefits. Yet there's no minimum wage, a 25% sales tax and many of the welfare benefits are managed by private companies. The UFT has fiercely opposed similar positions here. Will Mamdani actually govern with this model, or will he modify his positions in return for support from the affluent unions? If so, he's just another sleazy politician for sale. Charles Compton The Bronx Public union members who are paid by taxpayers should not be allowed to donate to political parties because of the cycle it creates. The taxpayer pays taxes that go to the public school, the teacher gets paid from those taxes, the teacher pays union dues, then the union donates to a political party, and that political party gives the union whatever it wants. Oh, and it's mostly one party getting that money. John Ianni Wappingers Falls The teachers union supporting Zohran for mayor is the perfect example of how public schools are failing students. Schools don't teach students the truth about socialism. They put the word 'democratic' in front of 'socialist' to make it sound better. Voters better wake up and vote out anyone who supports this twisted ideology, or you'll learn the hard way by experiencing it. Rob Mele New Haven, Conn. The Issue: The Department of Justice claiming Jeffrey Epstein did not keep a client list and did commit suicide. We were promised the truth ('No Epstein 'client list,' & no murder: feds,' July 7). We were told the Epstein files would be released, the swamp would be drained and the elites who preyed on children would face the music. Instead, we got a memo from President Trump's Justice Department and FBI saying there is no Epstein client list, blackmail or further charges — just a suicide and a shrug. This isn't just a betrayal — it's spit in the face of every MAGA voter who believed Trump was different. William Bailey Kingsport, Tenn. What an insult: The Post's two-page spread 'The Conspiracy Weary' (Brendan O'Neill, July 10) ridicules the skeptical masses for applying logical inquiry to the Epstein affair. The Epstein affair and its coverup are governmental 'frame rot' undermining our constitutional republic. Michael Klewin Lawrence Township, NJ Trump was approached about Epstein's files and sort of implied it was old news. But he keeps bringing up the 2020 election, which is 4 ¹/₂ years old. Raymond Mangano Brooklyn Want to weigh in on today's stories? Send your thoughts (along with your full name and city of residence) to letters@ Letters are subject to editing for clarity, length, accuracy, and style.
New York Post
10-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
The horrible reasons the teachers union just endorsed Zohran Mamdani
It's easy to see why the United Federation of Teachers just threw its support to Zohran Mamdani: He's already said he wants to end mayoral control of the public schools — which translates to putting the city's teachers' union in charge. Per his platform, Mamdani 'supports an end to mayoral control' as we know it in favor of something it calls 'co-governance'; he's elsewhere vowed 'to give more say to educators and parents.' Let's be clear here: Before mayoral control, no one could hold anyone in particular to account for the public schools, as ever-changing political alliances determined who controlled the city Board of Education. Advertisement That left the UFT as easily the system's most powerful player — with no effective voice for the kids. Remember: Unions exist solely to serve their members' interests, however much they pretend otherwise; that's why COVID fears kept US schools closed the longest in areas with the most powerful teacher unions. That Mamdani would give up power over the Department of Education's $40 billion-a-year budget makes sense only if he also wants to avoid responsibility for the system's 900,000 students. Advertisement Of course, the Democratic Socialist firebrand himself attended expensive private schools until he tested well enough to win entry to elite Bronx Science; he has no clue what non-privileged parents seek from the system. Under a similar dynamic, New York's governor has no control of the State Education Department; it's bossed by a Board of Regents chosen in another complex process that again leaves no one to hold accountable. So the state's teachers unions set the agenda — and SED routinely waters down educational standards where it can't eliminate them; the goal is always more spending on schools and fewer demands on teachers; nothing about improving outcomes for the kids. You get plenty of sweet talk about 'supporting all children' and so on, but zero real action. Advertisement That's the future for most city schools if the unholy alliance prospers. Heck, even Bronx Science and the other elite high schools (Brooklyn Tech, Stuvesant, plus the handful added after Mike Bloomberg gained mayoral control) will be at risk, though Mamdani has waffled on whether he'd seek to end race-blind admissions testing for those institutions. It's funny: The UFT's record on mayoral endorsements is a long string of misfires, but the union still manages to keep coming out on top. One more time: The city still employs a lot of first-rate teachers, who have no choice but to join the UFT — but those educators aren't the ones the union mostly serves. Advertisement The state of public education in city schools should be a central issue, since the frontrunner has embraced the worst possible prescription. Voters who care about the future of the city's children need to rally behind someone other than teachers' union pet Zohran Mamdani.
