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Opinion Zohran Mamdani S Education Agenda Would Set New York Msn

Leo Migdal
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opinion zohran mamdani s education agenda would set new york msn

Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to get essential news about NYC’s public schools delivered to your inbox. On the first day of school, Zohran Mamdani stood in front of a middle school in Queens with the president of the teachers union and expressed enthusiastic support for a state mandate to reduce... But, when asked by a reporter, he struggled to lay out how his administration would improve the city’s highest-need schools if he wins in November. Education has not been a focal point in the election, even though the school system is the city’s largest department and commands a budget of more than $41 billion with roughly 146,000 employees. Mamdani, a 33-year-old Queens assemblyman who won the Democratic primary, devoted a single 168-word paragraph to K-12 education on his campaign website. Pressed on his plans to improve schools on Thursday, Mamdani did not outline any specific policy initiatives.

He emphasized the importance of funding and criticized his leading opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent. For more than 20 years, New York City schools have operated under a simple idea: If one person is in charge, one person is accountable. Now mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani wants to break that link. Mayoral control works the same way any strong organization works, with clear leadership. When one person is ultimately responsible for a sprawling entity like the city Department of Education, with its 815,000 students and 1,600 schools, decisions move faster, reforms can be evaluated and voters know who...

In 2002, when Mayor Mike Bloomberg first convinced the state Legislature to move city schools under mayoral control, the goal was simple: end the chaos of 32 local school boards and give one leader... With Zohran Mamdani projected to win the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, his slate of socialist-influenced policies, from city-owned grocery stores to a rent freeze, are one step closer to reality. Mamdani's socialist agenda won't stop with housing policy or the minimum wage. It will also hit America's largest public school system and aim to kill the best thing about it. While New York City schools are routinely criticized for overspending, underaccountable teachers' unions, and general dysfunction, the city's group of selective high schools is a consistent bright spot. Eight schools, including Mamdani's alma mater, Bronx High School of Science, admit students through an exam.

The schools give talented students from all over the city the ability to escape chaotic local schools and receive an education at some of the top public high schools in the country. However, the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), which is the test used to admit students, has long come under fire for what critics say is a racial bias. That's because Asian students overwhelmingly perform best on these tests. In 2023, for example, over two-thirds of the students at Stuyvesant High School (widely regarded as the best of the eight high schools) were Asian. However, this framing is reductive. It's worth noting that Asians have the lowest median income of any racial group in New York City.

And, contrary to the popular vision of magnet schools being comprised of upper-middle-class white and Asian students, New York's selective high schools are economically diverse; 50 percent of Stuyvesant students are economically disadvantaged. At Bronx Science, it's 52 percent. But that hasn't kept politicians from attacking the schools as segregated, and the SHSAT as racist. In 2018, then-Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) called the high schools a "monumental injustice." He attempted to survert a state law protecting the SHSAT, but the admissions change has so far been tied up... Over the years, Mamdani has stated that he would also attempt to ditch the admissions test. "As a graduate of Bronx Science, I have personally witnessed just how segregated New York City public schools are, especially our specialized high schools," he said in a 2022 interview.

"I support measures to integrate our public schools and fully fund our education system, including the abolition of the SHSAT." Our journalism is only possible with support from you, our readers. The news mainstream media just doesn’t cover. Racial justice journalism since 1909. The news mainstream media just doesn’t cover. Racial justice journalism since 1909.

We need you NOW! For 115 years we have delivered award winning racial justice journalism — and only with your support can we continue! Already a subscriber? Log in to hide this. Sign up for Chalkbeat New York’s free daily newsletter to get essential news about NYC’s public schools delivered to your inbox. While the other major candidates for mayor are on record favoring the current system of mayoral control of schools, Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is in opposition.

He needs to clarify what this means. Mamdani has a thin record on public education. He attended private school through eighth grade, then the elite Bronx High School of Science before graduating from a private college. He doesn’t sit on the Assembly’s Education Committee, a favored post among elected officials because of its importance and high visibility. Direct involvement with schools in his Queens district appears scant. He didn’t take part in the brief teachers union initiative for Democratic primary candidates to work a day in a city public school.

Most importantly, pre-K through 12 education hardly figures in his list of campaign priorities: a rent freeze, free buses, government-owned grocery stores, and community safety. The closest he comes to addressing education on his Zohran for NYC homepage is an on-brand promise of free child care. Only by drilling down three levels is there a generic schools position, hardly distinguishable from other candidates’, that “Zohran will ensure our public schools are fully funded with equally distributed resources, strong after-school programs,... So what are we to make of Mamdani’s stance on public education which accounts for one third of the city’s budget and its largest single expenditure, responsible for educating almost a million students? Zohran Mamdani needs a civic program to complement his affordability agenda Zohran Mamdani poses for a group photo at “The Cost of Living Classic” soccer tournament on October 19, 2025, in New York City.

It was hard to miss the civic spirit spilling out of Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral campaign. You could find his canvassers gathering at parks, playgrounds, and plazas; at 5:30 pm on weekdays or noon on weekends; huddled under the awnings of Dunkin’ Donuts or lingering outside independent coffee shops; and... Climbing up into walk-ups and entering apartment buildings, volunteers knocked on doors and engaged voters in conversations about the challenges of their everyday lives, then introduced them to a mayoral candidate who promised to... A simple logic guided Mamdani’s field operation: Political change begins with talking to your neighbors. Volunteers showed up everywhere: at Jummah Prayer, greeting congregants with voter registration forms and fliers; at farmers’ markets in spring and fall; and holding signs along the New York City Marathon route the weekend... Across more than 5,700 canvassing shifts in 243 neighborhoods, volunteers offered residents a proximate face to the movement, built trust with other New Yorkers, and trained new spokespeople for Mamdani’s affordability agenda.

More than 100,000 people volunteered on the campaign, knocking 3.1 million doors, making 4.5 million calls, and sending 2.7 million texts. While the canvasses were the campaign’s most frequent method of direct voter contact, the calendar brimmed with opportunities to participate. The campaign’s scavenger hunt sent nearly 4,000 participants racing across Manhattan to decode clues about New York history, and a fall soccer tournament, dubbed the Cost of Living Classic, drew players from every borough. There were also dozens of smaller events: community document-shredding drives, DIY merch-making nights, and informal socials that brought volunteers together at little cost. Each of these efforts extended the campaign’s core message: that politics isn’t something distant or elite but something built together in the neighborhoods where people already live. Sanjay Sharma is a seasoned journalist with over two decades of experience in the media industry.

Currently serving as Assistant Editor - Education at TimesofIndia.com, he specializes in education-related content, including board results, job notifications, and studying abroad. Since joining TOI in 2006, he has played a pivotal role in expanding the platform’s digital presence and spearheading major education events. Previously, Sanjay held leadership positions in sports journalism, covering high-profile events such as the Cricket World Cup and Olympics. He holds a PG Diploma in Journalism from Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan and is proficient in various content management systems.Read More Evil Eye Protection: What Each Zodiac Sign Should Do to Stay Safe 8 flowers and plants that will make the balcony garden smell fresh all day

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