Samuels began his profession as an elementary trainer, then center college principal, each within the Bronx. He later led District 13 in Brooklyn — the place he was finest identified for overseeing a districtwide center college integration plan — earlier than shifting to District 3 in Manhattan for the previous couple of years.
In his present place, he oversaw a contentious plan to reconfigure Harlem faculties as a part of a broader effort to handle enrollment declines within the neighborhood. The transfer triggered backlash locally, whereas incomes the praises of high schooling officers for guaranteeing all college students have entry to quite a lot of lessons and programming. The district additionally covers the Higher West Facet and Morningside Heights.
Samuels is ready to turn out to be the third chancellor in two college years, after Melissa Aviles-Ramos took the reins from David Banks, who in October. 2024 was compelled to resign early amid federal corruption probes swirling Metropolis Corridor.
“Hearty congratulations to Kamar Samuels on taking the helm of the nation’s largest school system, a tremendous responsibility at this moment in time that will require a practiced hand and steadfast commitment to steering the ship straight,” stated state Sen. John Liu (D-Queens), chairman of the New York Metropolis Schooling Committee.
Samuels will take over the greater than $40 billion college system with some 900,000 college students because it contends with political stress from the White Home, which has already pulled funding from native magnet applications, in addition to an incoming state mandate to decrease class sizes that may require vital spending and hiring.
He additionally faces an unsure future beneath Mamdani, who campaigned on a promise to finish the present system of mayoral management of public faculties — elevating questions on his future authority to nominate a faculties chancellor. In the meantime, Mamdani has but to articulate his imaginative and prescient for college governance, and there seems to be little urge for food in Albany for vital modifications.
The Mamdani transition group didn’t return a request for remark Tuesday night time.
One supply, who spoke on situation of anonymity, stated the chancellor choice course of was marred by behind-the-scenes jockeying, with a number of totally different camps on the transition at one level pushing as many as 5 totally different candidates for the highest spot, together with Aviles-Ramos.
That resulted in a course of slowed down by indecision, the particular person stated, with the appointment of Samuels leaving some on the transition group disillusioned.
“To pick someone who’s a superintendent over someone who’s already chancellor, when it’s this late in the process,” the supply stated, in reference to Aviles-Ramos, “that could have been done better.”
It was not instantly clear when his appointment will take impact. College students return from winter break Monday.
