Mayor-elect Mamdani expected to name Kamar Samuels as schools chancellor

Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, is expected to announce that he will appoint Kamar Samuels as the city’s schools chancellor, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plan. Mr. Samuels is a veteran leader in the city public education system and the superintendent of District 3 on Manhattan’s West Side.

Mr. Samuels has worked in New York’s schools for more than two decades and is known for efforts to promote desegregation, including merging schools in Manhattan and central Brooklyn and pursuing International Baccalaureate programs as alternatives to traditional gifted-and-talented offerings.

Supporters regard him as focused on equity and improving outcomes for students who have been underserved; the people familiar with the decision spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The selection is being watched for what it may signal about Mr.

Mamdani’s priorities as he forms an education agenda. New York City’s public school system has an annual operating budget of more than $40 billion, about 1,500 schools and enrollment of roughly 880,000 children between preschool and 12th grade. The system faces multiple challenges cited in reporting, including threats to federal funding, gaps in outcomes for children with disabilities and a record level of student homelessness.

Key Topics

Politics, Kamar Samuels, Zohran Mamdani, Desegregation, International Baccalaureate