Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels affirmed Tuesday that he wants to extend mayoral control by another four years, a reversal of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s campaign pledge to get rid of the system.
Samuels said he backs Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal for a four-year extension of the current system, in which the mayor, rather than an elected school board, runs the public school system by appointing the chancellor and most members of the main oversight panel that sets education policy.
During testimony before the City Council’s Education Committee, Samuels said increased “family empowerment” would strengthen the governance structure, which he dubbed “mayoral accountability.” Mayoral control is set to expire in June 2026.
“I believe mayoral accountability and family empowerment can and must coexist,” he said. “Our children deserve both the centralized oversight and execution that allow for real, impactful change and the local input and decision-making that give our families a meaningful say.”
Samuels said centralized authority under the mayor helps the Department of Education move more quickly on systemwide goals, such as complying with the state’s class size mandate, by allowing the city to shift students and resources between neighboring schools with different enrollment levels.
New York City must slash classroom sizes across the board by 2027-28 under the law, and Mamdani has put forth a $12 million-plan to hire 1,000 new teachers a year to meet the mandate.
During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani vowed to end mayoral control of the largest public school district in the country, arguing that the structure sidelined community voices in the system.
But after getting elected, Mamdani reversed course, announcing his support to renew mayoral control as he introduced Samuels as the new schools chancellor, overseeing more than 900,000 students at some 1,800 schools.
Most council members during Tuesday’s hearing said they also supported mayoral control, but several pushed for stronger checks and balances.
Councilman Eric Dinowitz (D-Bronx), the education committee chair, pressed for greater contract oversight and transparency requirements for the DOE.
Samuels also fielded questions about President Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown during the hearing.
Councilwoman Jennifer Gutiérrez (D-Brooklyn) asked if the DOE had a unified approach for potential encounters with federal immigration agents.
Samuels said the administration views schools as “safe havens” and described procedures such as buzzer entry systems and protocols requiring school safety agents to question visitors and alert principals when law enforcement appears at a school.
A senior DOE official said the city has created trainings on how to respond to possible US Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, with sessions offered online and in person for principals, superintendents and other staff.
The official said the sessions are technically voluntary but attendance is “encouraged” and “monitored” by superintendents, particularly in communities with high numbers of immigrant families.