School Leadership and Equity: Mamdani’s Chancellor Selection Process

Education Transition Team Pursues High-Profile Candidates for NYC’s Education Leadership

Building Equitable Schools: Mamdani’s Chancellor Search Signals Education Priorities

Transparency Needed in High-Stakes Personnel Decision

As Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani prepares to assume office in January 2026, one of his most consequential decisions remains unannounced: the appointment of a new Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, which oversees the nation’s largest public school system serving over 900,000 students. Chalkbeat’s reporting reveals that Mamdani has indicated openness to retaining current Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, though he has kept his selection process tightly controlled—instructing transition committee members to avoid media engagement even while soliciting their recommendations. This approach raises concerns among parent advocates and community organizations about the transparency promised during Mamdani’s campaign, when he emphasized shifting power over the school system toward families and educators. Several parent organizations have publicly called for Mamdani to create an inclusive chancellor selection process that incorporates meaningful feedback from parents, students, teachers, and community members. The tension between expedited decision-making and democratic engagement reflects broader questions about mayoral accountability in systems where the highest executive has concentrated power over public institutions serving vulnerable populations.

Aviles-Ramos: Continuity and Questions About Independence

Current Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos brings nearly two decades of experience within the Department of Education, having advanced through ranks as teacher, principal, and superintendent primarily in the Bronx. She has garnered backing from the United Federation of Teachers (UFT)—the city’s powerful teachers union whose endorsement of Mamdani in the general election carries political weight. Aviles-Ramos has initiated family engagement programs and managed the massive influx of migrant students into city schools, demonstrating administrative competence in crisis management. However, her tenure has been characterized primarily as an extension of Adams administration priorities rather than development of an independent policy vision. Given her deputy relationship to predecessor David Banks and her focus on executing existing initiatives rather than advancing transformative change, some observers question whether she offers the leadership necessary to address structural inequities. Her deep connection to the Adams administration—itself marked by corruption scandals and controversial policies—may complicate her public credibility with constituencies skeptical of continuity. The union’s strong backing, while politically valuable, raises concerns among some reform advocates about whether she would maintain sufficient independence from labor negotiations to advance equity-centered educational policy.

Alternative Candidates Represent Competing Visions of Education Reform

Several other candidates have circulated as potential selections, each offering distinct approaches to educational leadership. Meisha Ross Porter, a former chancellor under Mayor Bill de Blasio, is widely recognized as a passionate advocate for educational equity and the first Black woman to lead the system. Porter is particularly respected for her effort to overhaul the city’s gifted and talented programs—an initiative directly aligned with Mamdani’s stated interest in school integration and reducing systemic barriers to advanced education access. Mamdani’s campaign materials explicitly supported revisiting gifted program reforms, citing research showing that current screening mechanisms replicate racial disparities in educational opportunity. However, Porter’s tenure heading the Bronx Community Foundation drew significant criticism; according to investigation by New York Focus, the foundation failed to distribute most funds raised, and the board ultimately terminated her employment, raising questions about fiscal management and organizational leadership. Angélica Infante-Green, Rhode Island’s Education Commissioner, offers deep knowledge of state and city education bureaucracies, along with a strong track record advancing English language learner services and bilingual programs—populations that will require significant attention in Mamdani’s administration. Her involvement in charter school advocacy in Rhode Island complicates her fit with Mamdani’s skepticism toward charter expansion, though her focus on serving vulnerable students aligns with administration priorities.

The Equity Imperative in Education Leadership Selection

Regardless of whom Mamdani appoints, the chancellor selection carries profound implications for educational equity and democratic governance. Research published by the Learning Policy Institute demonstrates that chancellor leadership directly affects district-wide approaches to resource allocation, disciplinary practices, and curricular innovation. Feminist and intersectional analyses of educational leadership emphasize that decision-making processes themselves—whether inclusive or opaque—communicate messages about whose voices matter. Educational scholar bell hooks emphasized that teaching and school leadership represent sites of resistance against oppressive systems or sites of reproduction of inequality, depending on leadership choices. A chancellor committed to serving working-class families, immigrant families, and families of color would necessarily prioritize: transparent fiscal management; community participation in school governance; closure of achievement gaps correlating with race and class; and transformation of school discipline practices that disproportionately punish Black and Brown students. Any chancellor appointment should be evaluated against these criteria. The urgency intensifies given the deadline for school budget adoption and the need for clear direction on controversial issues: school integration, charter school accountability, special education access, and fiscal priorities during economic uncertainty. Mamdani should honor his campaign commitment to devolving power toward communities by conducting a genuinely inclusive selection process rather than restricting deliberation to insiders. (Sources: Chalkbeat New York, NYC Department of Education, Learning Policy Institute, New York Focus, United Federation of Teachers)