Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Mamdani gets an education reality check on thorny class size law
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Mar 19, 2026
Modified Mar 19, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Courtesy of the mayor's office
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Mar 19, 2026
Modified Mar 19, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This column originally appeared in The Politics Brief, our weekly newsletter on the people, power and policies that shape New Yorkers' lives.
Sign up to get the full version where you can ask questions, share news tips and weigh in on the conversation. Hits inboxes on Wednesdays.
As a candidate, Zohran Mamdani treated education policy mostly as an afterthought. As mayor, he’s getting a crash course on the challenges of managing New York City’s $40 billion school system.
Shortly before taking office, Mamdani reversed course on a campaign pledge to end mayoral control after political and education experts argued he’d need full authority to implement his universal child care plan. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, had said he wanted to give teachers and families more say.
Now, the mayor is getting schooled again in his push to bring New York City into compliance with a 2022 state law that would reduce class sizes to 25 students or fewer depending on grade level. Smaller classes are popular among families and teachers, and have been credited with better outcomes, especially for low-income students.
Facing a $5 billion-plus budget deficit, administration officials have signaled they will need more time and money to comply with the class size law. Under the law, 80% of classrooms must meet the class size requirement by September. Currently, around 65% of classrooms have met the benchmarks, although officials had to exempt thousands of classrooms to meet the mandate.
Mamdani’s predecessor, Eric Adams, initially opposed smaller class sizes due to costs, including hiring new teachers and construction. He later changed his position and hired thousands of additional teachers. Still, Adams left office without delivering a comprehensive plan to bring schools into full compliance with the class size law, which will be fully in effect by 2028.
“I think it's very unlikely, in my view, that the city will make the benchmarks for the next two years of 80 to 100%, basically because Mayor Adams dragged his feet,” said Leonie Haimson, the executive director of the advocacy group Class Size Matters.
Lowering classroom head counts involves some of the most controversial decisions in education. Plans to close and relocate several Upper West Side schools to address enrollment issues and comply with class size caps have encountered fierce backlash. In one case, a public hearing featured a racist comment that prompted the city to withdraw a plan to close a middle school.
Supporters of smaller classes appear willing to give the new mayor time to fulfill his promise.
State Sen. John Liu, the primary sponsor of the 2022 law, said he’s had conversations with Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels about granting the city more time and resources to comply.
“I think the doors are open to both once they have a clear plan in place,” Liu said. That would include knowing how much more time the city needs to build out new classroom space.
Liu said Mamdani, unlike Adams, is “serious” about reducing class sizes. Mamdani’s preliminary budget sets aside $543 million for the task.
“No one had any delusion that this would be an easy task,” Liu said. “It's difficult monetarily, physically, in terms of construction, and also politically. But the important thing to keep in mind is that this will benefit generations of school kids to come.”
Michael Mulgrew, the head of the teachers union, also said he’d support granting the city an extension as long as the administration submitted a plan showing how it would tackle the new construction.
“I've had very good conversations with the mayor and his administration on this,” Mulgrew said. “So they've said they would do it. We'd be more than happy to help.”
Jenna Lyle, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office, said Mamdani is committed to smaller class sizes and his administration is “working on a range of strategies to meet the class-size mandate and ensure that all students have access to the high-quality, inclusive and equitable learning environment they deserve.”
Listen here
We want to hear from you
This week, we’re wondering: Should Mamdani have invoked the cause of Palestinians on St. Patrick's Day?
We'll share responses in next week's newsletter. (Sign up!)
This week in New York politics
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration moved Tuesday to stop representing former Mayor Eric Adams in a lawsuit alleging Adams sexually abused an NYPD colleague more than three decades ago. Here’s why.
- Meanwhile, another former mayor, Bill de Blasio, is giving Mamdani props for his approach with President Donald Trump. Here’s what he said.
- The MTA sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for withholding federal funding for the Second Avenue subway’s expansion into East Harlem. Here’s more on the case.
- Power for more than 2 million New York households is in limbo as renewable energy developers remain at an impasse with the state government over construction costs tied to President Trump’s tariffs. Here’s more on the situation.
- Leqaa Kordia, who spent more than a year in ICE custody after she was arrested at a Columbia University protest over the war in Gaza, is returning to her family in New Jersey. Here’s more on her situation.
- The Mamdani administration has a new job listing: borough-based jails czar. Here’s more on the role.
- Attorney General Letitia James supports state legislation that would curtail retailers and grocers from setting prices using algorithms based on personal data. Here’s more on the proposal.
Tagged
Politics
Zohran Mamdani
education
new york city
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .