NYC Mayor Mamdani Draws Fire Over $38.6 Billion Schools Budget After 10 Months Without K-12 Agenda
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 27
NYC Mayor Mamdani Draws Fire Over $38.6 Billion Schools Budget After 10 Months Without K-12 Agenda
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 27
Summary
Ten months into office, Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism from New York education advocates who say his administration has produced few substantive K-12 changes despite broad mayoral control of nearly 1 million students.
Critics including David Bloomfield and Leonie Haimson say City Hall has offered no clear strategy on declining enrollment, racial segregation, school mergers, overcrowding, or weak reading and math performance.
A key flashpoint is class size: Mamdani backed a state law capping classes at 20 to 25 students, then sought a 2-year extension that would delay full compliance until 2030.
The criticism is sharpened by the system's scale — a $38.6 billion school budget that analysts say spends 50% more per student than Los Angeles and Chicago — while advocates question whether money is reaching overcrowded campuses.
Supporters credit Mamdani with launching the city's first 2-K initiative, but advocates say his education focus has largely stopped at early childhood and has not translated into a broader K-12 agenda.