Concerns Raised Over Department of Education’s Audit Cooperation
On Monday, accusations emerged against Mayor Zoran Mamdani’s Department of Education for supposedly “obstructing” a city council audit of numerous agency contracts totaling $12 billion.
This audit request was made back in March, but the Mamdani administration indicated that it would be “months” before they could provide the necessary information due to the contracts being stored on “secure systems that are accessible to very few.”
During a challenging budget hearing, Assembly Speaker Julie Menin expressed her frustration, stating, “This is basic information that the DOE is supposed to deliver to Congress, so I don’t understand why we’re facing delays.” This came after DOE Chief Procurement Officer Elisheva Lewis offered justifications for the situation.
Menin continued, “We’re asking for 600 contracts, not a printed document. This just should not take that long. It should take about an hour.”
Mamdani had campaigned on the promise to “enhance procurement” and implement audits similar to DOGE, specifically targeting the Department of Education, which operates with a hefty $43 billion budget. However, five months into his tenure, no contracts have been audited, and education officials admitted that procurement reforms are still in the “preliminary stage” with no clear timeline.
Additionally, Schools Superintendent Kamal Samuels is under scrutiny for a no-bid contract he approved back when he served as the district’s superintendent on the Upper West Side. A recent task force report highlighted that in 2023, Samuels entered into a $180,000 agreement with a vendor, Sean Kreiling, who wasn’t approved by the DOE. He split the payment into smaller checks of $25,000 apparently to circumvent city financial oversight.
During the hearing, Board of Education Chairman Eric Dinowitz confronted Samuels about the deal, asking him directly about his involvement in the check-splitting scheme. Samuels acknowledged the “policy and procedural failures” during his time as superintendent, claiming all actions were aimed at pursuing educational opportunities, although DOE General Counsel Liz Vladeck interrupted him before he could elaborate.
Vladeck cautioned Samuels against answering further questions, due to “active speculation in the press” surrounding a potential reopening of the SCI investigation, a clear nod to a recent report. Dinowitz countered, “I’m not a journalist. I’m referencing a public investigation that anyone can access online.”
Additionally, Vladeck admitted to having “personally approved” the reversal of a decision to fire Mr. Graham, who had previously been suspended for two weeks over a questionable contract.
The mayor’s office did not provide a comment following these developments on Monday.
