Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is expected to name Kamar Samuels, a nearly 20‑year New York City educator and current Manhattan superintendent, as schools chancellor. Samuels is noted for leading school mergers to promote racial integration and for supporting changes to the Gifted & Talented kindergarten test. The chancellor will oversee more than 900,000 students and about 1,600 schools. Mamdani plans to revive a de Blasio‑era proposal to replace the kindergarten test with a universal second‑grade assessment.
Mamdani Expected To Name Kamar Samuels As NYC Schools Chancellor, Signaling Gifted & Talented Overhaul
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference in New York City, Dec. 20, 2025.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is expected to announce the appointment of Kamar Samuels, a nearly two-decade New York City educator and current Manhattan superintendent, as the city’s next schools chancellor, according to multiple reports.
Samuels is known for leading school consolidations and merger efforts intended to promote racial integration and for supporting moves to change the city’s Gifted & Talented admissions approach. He has also advocated for programs such as the International Baccalaureate, framing them as ways to expand student opportunities while investing in teacher development.
(L-R) Kamar Samuels, Julie Engerran and Mark Dunetz attend the Teaching Matters 14th Annual Champions Of Education Luncheon at Metropolitan Club on October 26, 2022, in New York City.
Role and Context
The schools chancellor oversees the nation’s largest public school system: more than 900,000 students across roughly 1,600 schools and a workforce of about 135,000 employees. Samuels’ potential nomination aligns with Mamdani’s campaign promise to reshape education policy, including reviving a proposal originally advanced during the de Blasio administration to eliminate the kindergarten Gifted & Talented test in favor of a universal assessment later in elementary school.
Career Highlights
Samuels began his career as an elementary classroom teacher in the Bronx before moving into school leadership as a middle school principal. He later served as deputy superintendent in Brooklyn’s Community School District 23, superintendent of Community School District 13, and most recently as superintendent of Manhattan’s District 3.
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani plans on appointing Kamar Samuels, a longtime New York City educator and Manhattan superintendent, as the next schools chancellor.
“It’s a politically challenging assignment to run District 3, really, and he ran it at a very challenging time,” Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine told City & State. “He consistently just showed incredible sensitivity and nuance and stuck to his principles.”
If confirmed, Samuels would succeed outgoing Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. City & State first reported Mamdani’s selection, and additional coverage appeared in the New York Post, Chalkbeat and other outlets. Mamdani is scheduled to be sworn in as New York City’s mayor on Jan. 1.
Reporting notes: This article synthesizes details reported by City & State, the New York Post, Chalkbeat and The New York Times.
Help us improve.
