We congratulate Kamar Samuels on being named the next Chancellor of New York City Public Schools (NYCPS). As a teacher, principal, and superintendent in our city’s schools, Samuels brings deep experience and expertise, including implementing initiatives like NYC Reads and working to integrate schools.

We look forward to working with the incoming Chancellor to strengthen existing initiatives like NYC Reads and undertake new efforts to address systemic challenges facing our public schools. We urge the incoming administration to pursue an education agenda that centers equity and the needs of students who are too often overlooked.

Our recommendations for the Mayor-elect include ensuring students who need extra help learning to read can get the one-on-one or small group intervention they need; expanding access to direct mental health services and behavioral supports in schools; scaling up specialized programs for students with disabilities and creating new ones to address gaps; increasing the number of bilingual programs and available school options for older newcomer youth; overhauling the decades-old bus contracts and guaranteeing timely transportation for students who are homeless or in the foster system; and more.

We also thank Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos for her decades of service to NYC students and her leadership role in important initiatives on topics ranging from literacy to family engagement to supporting newcomer students. At a time of tremendous uncertainty at the federal level, we are grateful to have had a Chancellor who has been steadfast in her commitment to protecting immigrant students and their families.