Front-runner Zohran Mamdani plans, if elected mayor, to end the Gifted & Talented program for kindergarten students at New York City public schools
This would mark a return to the plan put forward by former Mayor de Blasio in 2021 to phase out the program from elementary schools. Mayor Adams reversed de Blasio’s move, expanding the program during his term and making changes to its admissions process.
Mamdani said he would end the program just for kindergarteners.
The candidate first pledged to do so in a questionnaire with The New York Times on Wednesday.
“Zohran knows that 5-year-olds should not be subjected to a singular assessment that unfairly separates them right at the beginning of their public school education,” Dora Pekec, a Mamdani spokesperson, said.
“His agenda for our schools will ensure that every New York City public school student receives a high-quality early education that enables them to be challenged and fulfilled.”
The Gifted & Talented kindergarten classes would remain active for the current school year, but would no longer be available next fall, according to the report.
The city’s G&T program has been criticized for contributing to segregation because the students skew white and Asian.
When Adams brought the program back, he tweaked admissions to move away from a controversial process that relied on 4-year-olds’ test scores. Currently, students are admitted to the program based on preschool teacher recommendations and a lottery system.
Andrew Cuomo, who polls have running second in the mayor’s race, slammed Mamdani’s plan on Thursday, calling it “destructive.”
“If there are tens of thousands of applications for limited G&T spots, parents are telling you something: They want more of it, not less,” Cuomo said in a statement. “The answer isn’t to say good riddance to those families. If there are issues with how young children are selected, then fix that and expand opportunities — give more at the start of education and more on-ramps later. Don’t eliminate the program.”
With Cayla Bamberger
