Critics have labeled Kamal Samuels, the principal appointed by Socialist Mayor Zoran Mamdani, as a racial bigot who endorses far-left, anti-merit policies.
Before taking the helm of the nation’s largest school system, Samuels was a superintendent in a school district that spanned parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn—known for his efforts to dismantle gifted and talented programs.
While leading Districts 13 and 3, he initiated a number of progressive policies alongside regular city council meetings on topics like “anti-racism” and “equity.”
“I’ve never liked him. He came in as an ideologue,” a Department of Education official shared, bluntly stating that Samuels is “an idiot.”
Samuels, who is 48, led District 13 until 2022 when he was appointed to District 3 by then-Mayor Eric Adams. He pushed for anti-racism initiatives and hosted town hall meetings aimed at promoting a “woke” agenda, including one in February 2022 featuring left-wing Brooklyn City Council member Crystal Hudson.
“Join us for the D3 Town Hall: A meaningful chat about equity,” he posted in 2023, promoting ongoing discussions about serving all students.
In June 2022, he emphasized engaging students from MS 266 and PS 133 at an Anti-Racism District Town Hall.
Samuels often seemed preoccupied with racial matters, even making posts after the infamous incident between Chris Rock and Will Smith at the Oscars in 2022 that could be interpreted as racial commentary.
In a town hall held in June 2023, he featured Kariris Salas Ramirez, who opposes standardized testing, previously claiming its origins are linked to eugenics and facing accusations of anti-Semitism.
Samuels played a pivotal role in dismantling the gifted and talented program in District 13, substituting it with the International Baccalaureate program.
“What a pleasant surprise. Removing the G&T gives us an opportunity to reinvent and reimagine,” he commented back in October 2021.
One Education official claimed he embodies a “sinister progressive vision,” arguing that asking individuals to resolve societal issues rarely succeeds.
Still, Samuels aligned well with Mamdani’s educational goals, particularly the removal of the gifted and talented program for kindergartners—a core promise of Mamdani’s campaign.
Notably, this program began being phased out under former Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2021, only to be reinstated by Eric Adams, his successor.
As of now, neither Samuels nor the Department of Education have responded to inquiries.
