1-on-1 interview with new NYC Schools chancellor outlines early priorities
A longtime Department of Education educator and leader, Kamar Samuels says safety is at the top of his list.
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New York City’s new Public Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels is only weeks into the job, but he is on a mission to visit all 45 public school districts across the city, in his first 60 days.
At each stop, he’s meeting with students, parents, teachers and elected officials to learn more about their priorities.
He says those conversations will help shape his agenda for the country’s largest public school system.
“I’m completely committed to all of the students in New York City, all 900,000 of them,” Samuels said, in a sitdown interview with News 12.
A longtime Department of Education educator and leader, Samuels says safety is at the top of his list.
“I want schools to be safe, not just physically safe, but emotionally safe, psychologically safe,” Samuels said.
He also says curriculum needs to challenge high-achieving students while supporting those who are struggling.
“That means we are open to accelerated programs,” Samuels said. “And when kids need to be met where they are, when they’re a little behind, they can be caught up.”
School integration and desegregation are also a focus of the new administration, one of the few education issues Mayor Zohran Mamdani emphasized during his campaign.
“Culturally responsive education, that means I see myself in the curriculum, and I also see others in the curriculum, as we prepare strong, empathetic citizens, especially in this time,” he said.
Samuels didn’t offer many specifics on how he plans to implement his agenda, saying he is still working through complex issues facing the system, including the growing number of students experiencing homelessness and how schools should handle the rise of artificial intelligence.
Samuels brings years of experience as a teacher and principal in the Bronx, followed by his role as a superintendent in Brooklyn’s District 13. He said those roles gave him a firsthand look at the challenges educators face.
“When I started teaching, I got into a classroom and didn’t get a lot of resources,” he said.
Now, he says supporting and retaining teachers is central to the future of the school system.
“We’re going to need more teachers in the future,” Samuels said. “And we have to make sure there’s a clear roadmap for them as they come into the system.”
He says the coming months will be focused on translating those early conversations into action across the city’s public schools.
