{"id":229545,"date":"2026-05-13T03:43:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T03:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/229545\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T03:43:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T03:43:16","slug":"mamdani-scales-back-teacher-hiring-plan-anticipating-delay-in-state-class-size-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/229545\/","title":{"rendered":"Mamdani scales back teacher hiring plan, anticipating delay in state class size law"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sign up for Chalkbeat New York\u2019s free daily newsletter<\/a> to get essential news about NYC\u2019s public schools delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n

After issuing dire warnings about a multi-billion budget gap, Mayor Zohran Mamdani expects to save hundreds of millions from a pending deal to delay a state mandate to reduce New York City\u2019s class sizes.<\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s preliminary budget in February<\/a> included $543 million anticipating a hiring spree of about 6,000 teachers. On Tuesday, his executive budget proposal earmarked $122 million to hire 1,000 educators.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have asked Albany to extend the deadline to meet this mandate,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cIt will allow us to implement an achievable plan that better serves both our students and our teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The move marks a major reversal from his pledge on the campaign trail to swiftly reduce class sizes.<\/p>\n

The mayor\u2019s latest budget proposal includes other new details about his spending priorities for the nation\u2019s largest school district. He vowed to address the ballooning costs to the Education Department of private special education services \u201chead on.\u201d And he also revealed plans to boost wages of some early childhood education workers. <\/p>\n

Still, several education programs are on track to run out of funding this summer that were not included in the mayor\u2019s budget. <\/p>\n

Here are four key takeaways from the mayor\u2019s budget proposal, which is subject to negotiations with the City Council. A final deal is expected by July 1. <\/p>\n

Plugging the city\u2019s budget deficit hinges on a delay to the class size law<\/p>\n

Mamdani has long supported state\u2019s class size law capping classrooms at 20 to 25 students depending on the grade level. Though he plans to slash his initial teacher hiring pot of money, he indicated on Tuesday that he is adding $1.5 billion in capital funding for the School Construction Authority to help the city comply with the class size mandate.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake no mistake: We are fully committed to fulfilling the state mandate in a meaningful way on a realistic timeline that New Yorkers can actually trust,\u201d Mamdani said.<\/p>\n

But meeting next school year\u2019s goal \u2014 of having 80% of classrooms comply with the law \u2014 would be a major challenge, education officials previously warned<\/a>. Many schools don\u2019t have enough space to shrink classes and finding thousands of new teachers remains a hurdle. Officials have been reluctant to pursue other solutions such as restricting enrollment at crowded campuses.<\/p>\n

State Sen. John Liu, an architect of the law, said he expects the legislature to tweak the policy as part of the state\u2019s forthcoming budget<\/a>. Instead of requiring that 80% of classrooms comply, the state would mandate 70%, with the expectation that all classrooms would meet the caps over the next two or three years.<\/p>\n

Even that could pose a strain: This year, the city only surpassed its 60% target after issuing exemptions for thousands of classrooms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe intent is to see 100% compliance by the end of this mayor\u2019s first term,\u201d Liu told Chalkbeat on Tuesday, noting that he is confident those changes will come in the state budget, now more than a month overdue. \u201cMayor Mamdani has made clear he\u2019s committed to 100% compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n

City officials say they\u2019re getting serious about private special education costs<\/p>\n

Mamdani said he would take on the growing cost in the Education Department\u2019s budget of private services for students with disabilities, vowing to beef up public programs and save $149 million in the process. <\/p>\n

The city\u2019s Education Department now spends well over $1 billion \u2014 or roughly $1 out of every $40 in its budget \u2014 on private special education services.<\/p>\n

A majority of that cost is private school tuition and support for families who contend the city can\u2019t serve their children in a public school. Those families are overwhelmingly white<\/a>, a recent Chalkbeat analysis found. Mamdani said the city is investing in more public programs to lure them back into the system. Budget documents show the city is spending $67 million next year in new funding for preschool special education, a chronic shortage area<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Another big chunk comes from families in private schools who never considered a public school but nonetheless have a right to tutoring, speech therapy, and other services financed by the city<\/a>. The city is planning to spend $86 million to shore up its ability to provide those services directly rather than relying on private providers, budget documents show<\/a>. <\/p>\n

We’re on a need-to-know basis.<\/p>\n

Every weekday morning, Chalkbeat New York is bringing thousands of subscribers the news on public schools and education policy that they need to start their day. Sign up for our free newsletter to join them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are investing in special education services across the five boroughs so that families can get the support they need inside the public school system,\u201d the mayor said. \u201cThat means better outcomes for families, fewer unnecessary lawsuits, and long-term savings for our city.\u201d <\/p>\n

Previous administrations have made similar promises<\/a>, and costs have continued to rise. <\/p>\n

More money for early childhood education<\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s budget announcement includes more than $100 million in new early childhood spending. The city is committing $40 million to provide a roughly 2% across-the-board raise for workers at community organizations contracting with the city Education Department for programs like 3-K and prekindergarten. <\/p>\n

Those organizations have been locked in the same contract without pay increases since 2021. Their contracts were set to expire this year, but officials announced a two-year extension. The $40 million will ensure workers see a modest pay bump while the new contracts are crafted. <\/p>\n

The money will also provide larger pay increases for non-unionized workers to bring them up to par with staffers who are part of a labor union, said Nora Moran, the director of policy and advocacy at United Neighborhood Houses, an umbrella organization for early childhood providers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mayor has clearly listened to feedback from parents, educators, and advocates,\u201d Moran said in a statement.<\/p>\n

The budget also adds $67 million to fund preschool special education seats, an area where the city has historically fallen short. Another $2 million will fund a fledgling free childcare program for municipal workers.<\/p>\n

Funding for other education programs is in limbo<\/p>\n

The mayor\u2019s latest proposal restored $31 million in funding for Learning to Work<\/a>, a program that pays for internships, social workers, and guidance counselors for students at risk of dropping out. The program has routinely faced the possibility of budget cuts each year only for funding to be restored at the last minute. Now, City Hall is vowing to guarantee funding in future years. <\/p>\n

But other programs remain on the chopping block. <\/p>\n

\"PeopleStudents and advocates rallied in March outside the Education Department’s headquarters to save the Learning to Work program. (Alex Zimmerman \/ Chalkbeat) <\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s budget does not include $12 million for a wraparound program for students with disabilities<\/a> who have sensory issues that interfere with school performance. Nor does it include $6 million for restorative justice<\/a>, a conflict resolution approach that prioritizes talking through problems rather than punitive discipline.<\/p>\n

A $5 million mental health initiative<\/a> that provides students with faster access to counseling and other support at about 50 high-need schools also remains in limbo, though it has been restored in prior years during negotiations with City Council.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents, families, educators, and providers want assurance that they can continue relying on these programs in future years,\u201d the Coalition for Equitable Education Funding, which represents over 120 organizations, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Alex Zimmerman is a senior reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Michael Elsen-Rooney is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Michael at melsen-rooney@chalkbeat.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sign up for Chalkbeat New York\u2019s free daily newsletter to get essential news about NYC\u2019s public schools delivered…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[90126,7739,90124,1445,9,24,55,54,56,90125,7153,37285],"class_list":["post-229545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-at-risk-students","tag-budget","tag-learning-to-work-program","tag-mamdani","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny","tag-nyc-education-departments-lower-manhattan-headquarters","tag-rally","tag-tweed-courthouse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}