STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Kamar H. Samuels, the recently appointed chancellor of New York City Public Schools, visited New Dorp High School Tuesday evening as part of his “Our Schools. Our Future: Conversations with the Chancellor,” series.
There, he spent time meeting with parents, staff and students to hear concerns they may have regarding the city’s public school system.
“This is critically important to me, hearing your perspectives — your ideas — in real time; not only tonight, but all the time,” Samuels told more than 115 attendees.
Samuels, a father to two children himself, said he will be on the Island “all the time.”
“Each and every one of you brings a unique perspective to this conversation and it’s a perspective that I am deeply, deeply honored to hear,” he added. “I am committed to listening and learning from you.”
Kamar H. Samuels, the recently appointed chancellor of New York City Public Schools, visited New Dorp High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, to kick off his “Our Schools. Our Future: Conversations with the Chancellor,” series.(Advance/SILive.com | Luke Peteley)
Samuels identified four major areas of discussion ahead of individual table discussions: safety, academic rigor, integration and family empowerment.
After a brief welcome from the chancellor, tables consisting of parents and students engaged with senior school leadership, including Samuels.
These tables, consisting of about 10 individuals each, picked one of the four areas of focus and identified concerns within that selected topic.
Enhanced communication between school officials and those that they serve, whether they be students or parents, was one issue brought up many times. One student shared his desire for student voices to be heard and acknowledged by school leadership. Another attendee expressed the wish to see more opportunities for parents to directly meet with school leadership.
Kamar H. Samuels, second from left, the recently appointed chancellor of New York City Public Schools, listens to a parent at New Dorp High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, during the first stop of his “Our Schools. Our Future: Conversations with the Chancellor,” series.(Advance/SILive.com | Luke Peteley)
Amira Ammar, chief of staff for Assemblyman Michael Reilly and a mother of three children, told the Advance/SILive.com that her table discussed the topic of family engagement.
Ammar gave “major props” to PS 55 in Eltingville, the school which two of her children attend, for doing an “excellent job” engaging with families. She noted that a lot of schools do not emphasize such connection, which to her is “insanely important for parents.”
“I praise the chancellor and his team for making such an effort,” Ammar said. “He’s been in this position for just about a little over a month and I’ve already seen him several times on Staten Island, which is so encouraging. And, to be honest, I feel heard and I think that sentiment is shared with a lot of the people that I’ve encountered tonight.”
She said she hopes that the administration follows up on this feedback and implements change to move New York City Schools in a “positive direction.”
The visit to New Dorp High School was the first of two Staten Island visits and the initial stop for the citywide community engagement series.
Kamar H. Samuels, the recently appointed chancellor of New York City Public Schools, visited New Dorp High School on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, to kick off his “Our Schools. Our Future: Conversations with the Chancellor,” series.(Advance/SILive.com | Luke Peteley)
Samuels is scheduled to return to Staten Island for his final stop of the series on Saturday, April 11. He is expected to meet with families at Curtis High School, 105 Hamilton Ave., St. George, at 10:30 a.m.
“These conversations are about fundamentally changing how we make decisions by ensuring that those closest to our students have a real seat at the table,” Samuels previously said. “When families are true partners in the process, our schools become stronger, our policies become more effective, and our commitment to every child becomes meaningful. I look forward to these conversations and working together to build schools to reflect the hopes and needs of the communities they serve.”
NYCPS will release a report based on feedback gathered during the roundtable discussions along with a long-term roadmap for the education system once the engagement series has concluded.
The face of New York City Public Schools
Samuels was appointed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani to head the largest school system in the U.S. earlier this year.
The NYCPS website touts Samuels as a “veteran educator” with over 20 years of experience.
Born in Jamaica, Samuels attended Jamaica College in St. Andrew before attending Baruch College in New York City.
He holds a bachelor of business administration and a master of science in educational leadership from Baruch College, a master of science in childhood education from Lehman College and New York State certifications as a school building leader and school district leader, according to Public Schools.
Before going into education, Samuels started off in finance. He previously worked as a finance manager for the NBA.
Samuels began his career with NYC Public Schools through the NYC Teaching Fellows program, where he started off as an elementary school educator in the Bronx, serving at PS 41 and PS/MS 194.
“His early classroom experiences shaped his belief that high expectations, meaningful support, and family partnership are essential to student success,” his page on the Public Schools website states.
Samuels became principal of the Bronx Writing Academy, MS 323, before taking on senior leadership roles in NYCPS central offices, including executive director of district school design and senior director of partnerships and initiatives.
The chancellor also served as a deputy superintendent in Brooklyn and as a superintendent in Districts 13 and 3, located in Brooklyn and Manhattan, respectively. Samuels is credited for leading his district’s implementation of NYC Reads — NYCPS’ initiative to strengthen literacy.
He has also led “school integration efforts through admissions policies, mergers, rezoning, and culturally responsive educational practices, securing more than $10 million across Districts 13 and 3 to advance school integration initiatives,” the NYCPS website said.