New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is taking the heat from the head of the United Federation of Teachers.
UFT President Michael Mulgrew appeared frustrated with the Mamdani administration — which announced a major expansion of the NYC Solves and NYC Reads initiatives — after reading scores of the city’s public school students dropped.
The UFT has supported the NYC Reads initiative since it was announced in 2023. However, Mulgrew said in an interview with the New York Daily News on Wednesday, August 12, “We’re not going to support it if they want to implement it the way they did this year.”
“If this administration wants to continue to waste everyone’s time and not get the better results that we know we need, then we’re not going to support it,” Mulgrew continued.
“We like the idea,” he added. “We’ve been supporting it from the beginning, but somebody’s got to put them in check.”
According to the Daily News, recent data released by the state shows that 50.3% of students in grades 3 through 8 scored as proficient in reading, which is a drop from about 56% the year prior.
The New York Post reported that Mamdani, 34, defended the program during a press event earlier this week.
“I continue to be confident in NYC Reads. And it is developed with the real findings of what’s been effective across the country in mind,” he said. “And we know that it is a critical thing that we equip our public school students with.”
“We look forward to being in conversation with the UFT as we look to not only build upon the successes of the last few years, but to go beyond that,” Mamdani added.
In May, the mayor’s office said that the expansion of the education initiatives marks a step toward ensuring every student learns to read confidently.
“This administration is investing in what works: rigorous instruction, strong support for teachers and a public school system that doesn’t give up on anyone,” Mamdani said in a statement at the time. “This expansion will help make sure every student, in every neighborhood, succeeds.”
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