Exclusive | Embattled NYC Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels skips State of Our Schools speech

Embattled New York City Schools boss Kamar Samuels broke with tradition and became the first chancellor to fail to deliver a “State of Our Schools” speech since it was established.The speech was started by former Schools Chancellor David Banks during Mayor Eric Adams’ administration in 2023, and was used to outline visions and priorities for the city’s schools as the new school year got underway.It’s always been held in September.

The DOE confirmed that no “State of Our Schools” speech is currently scheduled.Ditching the yearly tradition has sparked ire in parents who already feel the administration is failing to produce a coherent vision on the troubled school system.“Parents and advocates are all grumbling; they have no clue what education policy Kamar or the mayor has,” a well-placed DOE insider said.DOE insiders are buzzing about the sudden break from tradition, and speculating that City Hall may be muzzling the scandal-scarred schools chief.“Does City Hall not have confidence in Kamar to deliver a high-stakes speech?” the DOE insider speculated.Mayor Mamdani’s administration has been criticized for not having a clear education policy vision.His campaign education plan was light on details, and insiders say that problem has only gotten worse since he took office.

“Mayor Mamdani doesn’t have the desire to have an education agenda, the selection of Samuels was part of that, just someone to maintain the status quo,” another DOE source said.With no clearly articulated education agenda or vision, the problems plaguing city schools have been intensified under Samuels’ reign.City students in grades 3-8 saw a 6% drop in their statewide English Language Arts proficiency rate from the previous year, with about half of students proficient in reading, according to state test data.One third of students, or nearly 300,000 students, are chronically absent from city schools, representing no change from the 2024-2025 school year, according to ...