Mayor-Elect Mamdani Appoints Education Veteran Kamar Samuels as Schools Chancellor To Deliver Educational Excellence
Samuels will partner with the Mayor-elect to raise outcomes in reading and math, confront school segregation, invest in educators, combat student homelessness, and deliver educational excellence for every student. As Superintendent in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Samuels has improved students’ literacy scores and secured more than $10 million across two NYC school districts to advance school integration
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani appointed Kamar Samuels as the next Chancellor of New York City Public Schools on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025.
As Chancellor, Kamar Samuels will champion an agenda of educational excellence for New York City’s students — focused on improving literacy and math achievement, advancing equity across our school system, and investing in educators so they have the tools to deliver an excellent education.
Kamar Samuels has served as an educator in New York City Public Schools for nearly two decades, beginning his career as an elementary school teacher before becoming a principal at the Bronx Writing Academy (M.S. 323).
As a principal, Samuels introduced innovative approaches in the classroom, including staggered start times for teachers, adjusted class lengths, and expanded use of online learning. Samuels will bring his innovative approach to teaching to his work as the city’s next Schools Chancellor, as he modernizes and transforms New York City’s education system to deliver excellence across school subjects and better serve the education of the next generation of students.
Later, he served as Superintendent of Manhattan Community School District 3 and Community School District 13 in Brooklyn, where he led district-wide initiatives to expand access to high-quality educational experiences. His work includedoverseeing the implementation of NYC Reads, NYCPS’ signature literacy initiative, and leading the launch and implementation of 17 International Baccalaureate programs. Additionally, he secured more than $10 millionacross two school districts to further school integration through admissions policies, mergers, rezoning, and CRSE practices. Samuels has a demonstrated record of improving student’s reading outcomes; he led the transition from the Teachers College Reading Program to a curriculum aligned with the Science of Reading which resulted in an increase in literacy scores in just the first year. As the next Chancellor, he will build on his record of improving educational outcomes as a Superintendent and ensure that every student — regardless of which school they attend — receives an excellent education.
As Schools Chancellor, Kamar Samuels will work closely with the Mayor-elect to fully fund schools and school programming by working with state and local partners to improve the Fair Student Formula and Foundation Aid, ensure compliance with class size law, combat segregation in New York City schools, and invest in teacher recruitment and retention. Together, incoming Chancellor Samuels and Mayor-elect Mamdani will advance an educational agenda focused on improving student reading and math outcomes, reducing school segregation, and ensuring educators have the resources they need to deliver an exceptional education.
“In the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the world, every single child deserves an excellent, unmatched public education — and a proven fighter in City Hall ready to deliver this,” said Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. “From serving as a teacher and principal in the Bronx to delivering unprecedented results as a Superintendent in both Brooklyn and Manhattan, Kamar Samuels has proven he can tackle the most urgent needs facing public school students across the five boroughs. I am honored to have him by my side as Schools Chancellor as we enter a new era for New York City.”
“I am grateful to serve as the next Chancellor of New York City Public Schools and to partner with Mayor-elect Mamdani to deliver educational excellence for every student. As someone who has spent nearly two decades in our classrooms, schools, and districts, I know that our students thrive when schools are fully funded, educators are supported, and systems are designed around equity and opportunity. We will confront segregation, invest in our teachers, strengthen literacy and learning, and ensure that every child has the education and support they need to succeed,” said incoming Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels.
The Mayor-elect and the incoming Chancellor will deliver on his affordability agenda to ensure that when students are at school, they can be focused on learning. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and incoming Schools Chancellor Samuels are committed to tackling the crisis of student homelessness. Student homelessness has hit record highs in New York City, with more than 154,000 homeless students in 2025. Together, they will expand Every Child and Family is Known, doubling the number of students and families served by the program. The ultimate goal of expanding Every Student and Child is Known is to create a citywide program that can serve every student in the shelter system and provide them with services to meet their basic needs.
The Mayor-elect and Samuel know that a good education also lies in the teachers who deliver that education. The Mayor-elect and incoming Schools Chancellor Samuel will scale up teacher recruitment by expanding pathways to becoming an educator and enact reforms to retain good teachers in our public school system. Across the nation, 55 percent of teachers are considering leaving the profession – and here in New York City, we face a massive shortage of teachers and support staff. Certain licenses, such as special education, bilingual K-12, math, and science, are facing particularly acute shortages and in order to meet the requirements of the 2022 class size law alone, the City needs to hire 7,000-9,000 more teachers over the next several years.
###
Kamar Samuels will be appointed the incoming Schools Chancellor of New York City Public Schools. Kamar Samuels has served as an educator in New York City Public Schools for nearly two decades, beginning his career as an elementary school teacher in the Bronx before becoming a principal, also in the Bronx. He has served as Superintendent of Manhattan Community School District 3 and Community School District 13 in Brooklyn, where he led district-wide initiatives to expand access to high-quality educational experiences. His work included overseeing the implementation of NYC Reads, NYCPS’s signature literacy initiative, and leading the launch and implementation of 17 programs toward International Baccalaureate authorization. He secured more than $10 million across two school districts to further school integration through admissions policies, mergers, rezoning, and CRSE practices. Additionally, Samuel led the transition from the Teachers College Reading Program to a curriculum aligned with the Science of Reading, resulting in a five percent increase in literacy scores in the first year.
Samuels also served as Deputy Superintendent in Community School District 23 in Brooklyn, where he acted as the superintendent’s designee for principal evaluations and school improvement planning, supported principals in developing comprehensive school improvement plans, and contributed to system-wide accountability policy and leadership development.
Previously, Samuels worked as the Executive Director for District School Design at NYC’s DOE where he provided district school design policy analysis and strategic recommendations to the Chancellor and Senior Executive Director on issues including school redesign, consolidation, truncation, and closure. Samuels also worked as a Senior Director of Partnerships and Initiatives at the NYC DOE’s central Office, providing a direct line of communication between the DOE and labor unions. Prior to that, Samuels was a Teacher Advocate & Borough Liaison for the United Federation of Teachers, where he liaised between the union and DOE representatives.
Click here to subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania's Columns
His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].
Follow RayHanania at Twitter
