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Zohran Mamdani has not sketched out a plan to manage the nation’s largest school system. But the Queens assemblyman, who won a decisive victory for the Democratic mayoral nomination on Tuesday, has one big idea: giving himself less power.
Since 2002, the state has granted the mayor of New York City almost complete authority over the public school system. The mayor unilaterally selects the schools chancellor and appoints the majority of the Panel for Educational Policy, a board that votes on school closures, contracts, and other major changes to Education Department regulations.
Most mayoral candidates this year said they support mayoral control, though some suggested tweaks. Every mayor has lobbied state lawmakers in Albany for extensions to mayoral control since it was enacted more than two decades ago. Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democratic socialist, has vowed to be an exception to that rule.
“Zohran supports an end to mayoral control and envisions a system instead in which parents, students, educators and administrators work together,” his campaign website states. In its place, he calls for a “co-governance” model that empowers existing organizations, such as elected parent councils and local school teams that include administrators, teachers, and caregivers.
Mamdani’s plan would represent a fundamental shift in school governance at a time when the system faces many pressing issues, including elevated rates of chronic absenteeism, declining enrollment, and persistent gaps in student achievement.
“That’s a signal that he’s thinking about this in a very different way than the typical mayoral hopeful,” said Jonathan Collins, a professor of political science and education at Columbia University Teachers College. “Not too many politicians have been in the business of giving power away.”
Mamdani secured 56% of the vote in the Democratic primary, according to unofficial ranked choice results released on Tuesday. That momentum could carry him through a general election dominated by Democratic voters. But he still faces a crowded field, with Mayor Eric Adams, Independent Jim Walden, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who received 44% of votes in the primary. (Though Cuomo will be on the ballot, he has not said whether he will mount a campaign.)
Debate over mayoral control to start again in 2026
Whoever enters City Hall in January will quickly be thrust into the perennial debate about mayoral control, as the state law granting that authority is up for renewal in the middle of 2026. State lawmakers have shown some willingness to tweak mayoral control in recent years, granting only short renewals and adding new members to the education panel (though the mayor retains the majority).
Supporters of the model contend that it allows for the mayor to execute a clear policy vision for the city’s schools and makes it obvious to the public who is responsible for the system’s performance. The prior system of decentralized school boards was rife with corruption and patronage, they argue.
Critics contend that mayoral control makes it too difficult for parents, students, and educators to have a say over how schools are run and that mayoral elections every four years are a blunt accountability tool, as other issues often squeeze out education. They also note that Adams’ hired or promoted some of his relatives into senior government jobs. His schools chancellor, David Banks, retired amid a federal corruption investigation, though he was not accused of wrongdoing.
Mamdani has not articulated a clear vision for the city’s schools and said little about what alternatives to mayoral control he favors. His campaign did not respond to a request for specifics. Brad Lander, a mayoral candidate who cross-endorsed with Mamdani, also proposed changes to mayoral control to give City Council the power to weigh in on the appointment of the schools chancellor.
John Liu, a Queens Democrat who chairs the state Senate’s New York City education committee, said he could imagine a range of possibilities for Mamdani’s “co-governance” approach. He said it could involve transitioning to an elected school board similar to Chicago, or allowing other elected officials power to make additional appointments to the Panel for Educational Policy. That board has 24 members, a majority of whom are appointed by the mayor.
“It’s great to hear [Mamdani] discussing new ideas,” said Liu, who endorsed Mamdani and said more debate is needed about various approaches to running the system.
Still, Liu sounded a note of skepticism that the Democratic nominee would relinquish control of the school system. “What’s said on the campaign trail is not always what happens once you become mayor,” he said.
Mamdani’s ‘co-governance’ proposal draws enthusiasm and concern
Heather Lewis, a professor of art and design education at Pratt who has written extensively about the community control movement in New York, wondered whether Mamdani might give local community education councils more influence, a move she supports. Those bodies, which represent 32 local districts and four citywide councils, could have more authority to supervise the superintendents who oversee principals, she said, a power the local boards held before mayoral control.
Mamdani is “trying to figure out how to co-govern” — something no one has tried to do since Bloomberg implemented mayoral control, she said. “That’s exciting.”
Other observers were skeptical of deferring policy decisions to the local level. For one, turnout in local parent council elections has historically been dismal, with some council members winning with just a handful of votes, meaning those groups may not fully represent their communities.
Mamdani could also be forced to confront local decisions he may disagree with; Manhattan’s District 2, for instance, passed a controversial resolution in 2024 calling for a review of the city’s policy of allowing transgender girls to join girls’ sports teams.
“Is Mamdani really willing to go down roads like that?” said David Bloomfield, a professor of education, law, and public policy at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center.
Bloomfield, who previously served as the general counsel for the city’s Board of Education before mayoral control, added that Mamdani’s pitch for “co-governance” may be a winning campaign message because it has a populist appeal to make the system more democratic.
“It is a signal of a mindset more than an operational plan,” he said.
Other observers said they are open to changes to mayoral control but wished Mamdani was clearer about how changing the governance structure could produce better results for students.
“Co-sharing power [is] a process, not an outcome,” said David Adams, the CEO of Urban Assembly, an organization that supports a network of 22 public schools across the city. “It’s like okay, cool, but to what end?”
Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.
