Zohran Mamdani’s school chancellor begs Albany for another $602M to hire 6K teachers
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new schools chancellor is making a bold move by requesting an additional $602 million from state lawmakers to hire 6,000 new teachers in the Big Apple schools. This request comes on top of the $14 billion in school aid for the city that Governor Hochul included in her executive budget proposal this year. The Department of Education had previously allocated $450 million to hire 3,700 new teachers, and lawmakers and the governor also provided $2 billion in capital funding for city schools in 2022 to help implement a cap on class sizes.
The new chancellor, Kamar Samuels, emphasized the importance of class size in ensuring that every child receives the support they deserve from their teachers. He stated that hiring at least 6,000 additional teachers, in addition to the standard annual hiring, would cost a minimum of an extra $602 million annually. This figure is significantly less than the $1.5 billion that the previous chancellor had requested from lawmakers last year.
The 2022 cap on class sizes limits K-3 classes to 20 students, fourth through eighth-grade classes to 23 students, and high school classes to 25 students as per state law. Former Mayor Eric Adams’ administration had expressed concerns about meeting the requirements of the cap due to the need to hire more teachers.
During a legislative hearing, Senator Jim Tedisco raised questions about Mayor Mamdani’s previous comments regarding rolling back gifted and talented programs in city schools. Chancellor Samuels clarified that the mayor had not proposed phasing out or eliminating gifted and talented programs.
The Acting First Deputy Chancellor, Isabel DiMola, mentioned that the schools are considering starting gifted programs in later grades, although no changes are planned for the upcoming school year. This shift in approach may involve starting the programs at an older age than four or five years old.
One positive development for the chancellor is the inclusion of a four-year extension of mayoral control of New York City schools in Governor Hochul’s budget proposal. This extension eliminates the need for negotiations over this issue, providing stability and continuity in the governance of the city’s schools.
Overall, the new schools chancellor’s request for additional funding to hire more teachers reflects a commitment to improving education in New York City and ensuring that every student receives the support they need to succeed. By addressing class sizes and considering changes to gifted and talented programs, the chancellor is working towards creating a more equitable and inclusive educational system in the city.
