Cuomo vs. Sliwa vs. Mamdani on class size, charters & Mayoral control & what Cuomo said to PLACE leaders at their education forum

September 28, 2025

There is going to be a mayoral election in about 37 days.  Since Eric Adams pulled out today, there are now three major candidates. 

Andrew Cuomo, running as an Independent, has an education agenda focused on renewing Mayoral control, closing low-performing schools, expanding charter schools and gifted programs, and refusing to lower class size unless the state provides more funding specifically to implement the class size law. Here is a Power Point with more details on his positions on these and other education issues.  

Curtis Sliwa, the Republican in the race, also wants to continue Mayoral control and expand charters, while continuing to co-locate charter schools in public school buildings.  His website education page doesn't mention class size.  

The proposals of both men are extremely reminiscent of the education policies during the twelve years the Bloomberg administration.

On many of these issues, they are diametrically opposed to Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, who wants to amend Mayoral control to allow for more parent and community input, lower class size, and keep the number of charter schools as is, while auditing their practices to ensure more accountability.  Here are his detailed responses on these and other education issues on the NYC Kids PAC survey.

Last Thursday, Cuomo answered questions via Zoom from NYC PLACE parent leaders, whose positions on most of these questions are aligned with his.  There is a YouTube video of this forum here.

During the session, he seemed most passionate about the need to retain Mayoral control as is, several time saying it is "essential" and that "rolling back mayoral control is absurd".  He argued the union is the biggest opponent to continuing the system unchanged, and he would need parents fighting with him to ensure that there are no governance changes when this comes to a vote in Albany.

While expressing support to fund all the programs that PLACE supports, including more gifted programs and selective schools, he was insistent that he strongly opposes lowering class size, unless the state specifically provides more funding for that purpose.  

No mention was made of the fact that the state is providing nearly $2 billion per year in additional Foundation Aid annually in part for this purpose, as a result of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit, or that Cuomo himself refused to fund the CFE settlement and for years denied NYC schools full funding while he was Governor.

Though Alex Zimmerman of Chalkbeat reported that  during the session Cuomo asserted that he would not cap enrollment at lower levels at “desirable” schools to reduce class size as a page on his website  says -- a special priority of PLACE  -- his answer to this question during the forum was actually somewhat different.  

He repeated that he would exempt all schools from having to lower class size unless the city received more funding for that purpose, and didn't make any distinction for so-called "desirable” schools.  Even after being pressed on this matter, he said, "Either they have to give you the money or they have to give you an exemption."

Cuomo also said he would expand the police force and the number of School Safety Agents in schools. Strangely, he wrongly claimed School Safety Agents were currently under the control of DOE rather than police. 

Perhaps the biggest news from the night was that he said he would consult with PLACE leaders before selecting a new Chancellor.   For those who would rather not watch the entire video,  a transcript of his remarks is below.  

Success Academy charters: their documented history of flouting the law including requiring teachers to engage in political activity

 

Update:  Watch out Florida!  Success Academy plus billionaire Ken Griffin, a GOP megadonor have pushed through legislation in that state to allow charter school expansion and co-locations inside public school buildings.  This divisive policy has caused great controversy and a loss of space needed for class size reduction and other necessary services in NYC public schools since Bloomberg/Klein began co-locating charters in 2005.  It was also illegal as there was no charge for this space, while the law said charters should be charged the market value for free space.  We helped launch a lawsuit against this practice in 2011, which very slowly moved through the courts until at then-Gov. Cuomo's behest, the law was changed in 2014 so that from then on, NYC would be obligated to provide free space to all new and expanding charters in public school buildings or help subsidize their rent in private buildings.  NYC is the only district in the state and the nation with this obligation.

Last Thursday, September 18, 2025, several large charter school networks held a rally in Cadmen Plaza and a march across the Brooklyn Bridge to push for the continued expansion of the charter school sector.  This was apparently provoked by the fact that the leading candidate for Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has said he opposes allowing more charter schools to open, especially since they have reached their legal cap in NYC under state law.

Liz Kim, reporter at Gothamist, got hold of a tape of a speech that Eva Moskowitz, CEO of the largest charter school chain, Success Academy, gave to her Charter Management Staff and 158  new teachers, exhorting them to attend this march and rally, and to make at least five “phone-to-action” calls to their elected officials.

In the speech, Moskowitz harshly reprimanded those who had not yet done so: “You did not do the phone-to-action because you thought, ‘This is not very serious,’” she said. “So I want to just reset for all of you. It is an existential threat.”  And:

“We have faced threats throughout the last 20 years, we have a core competency in political threats, unfortunately. But this is one of these moments where there is heightened risk, policy risk, political risk, and so we are going to do what we've always done, which is to stand up for children and families in a massive way in Cadman Plaza to speak our minds and to make sure that government works for children and families. … government doesn't naturally work for the people. It has to be forced and made to work for the people. So we're doing two things. One is this parent mobilization, and the second is our phone to action campaign. 

And our goal is to send elected officials, two million messages. Now, teachers, you'll do a network one now and then when you get to your schools, you'll do a local one.

But I have to say that I was a little disappointed in the network, because only 25% of the network was doing the phone to action. …And you know, would be natural for you not to understand we have these nice offices, Aren't they nice? Very nice. 

You guys [work] for a not for profit, you are highly compensated. You could say, What? What? Me worry? What's there to worry about? But there's a lot to worry about, and this is not a theoretical worry. We lived through eight years of Bill de Blasio. The first thing he did when he became mayor is he threw out three of our schools.” 

This is untrue. De Blasio did not kick out three of her schools; he rejected three Success charter co-locations that had been proposed by Bloomberg before he left office but not yet implemented.  De Blasio also accepted co-locations for five other Success charter schools.

In any event, after a barrage of negative television ads,  DOE officials were browbeaten into finding and renting private space for these three Success charter schools at city expense for $5.4K - $11K per student.  By last year, the number of Success charter schools rented directly by DOE had risen to nine, with buildings added under both Mayor de Blasio and Mayor Adams, at a cost of $14.3 million annually.  By renting these buildings directly and failing to ask Success to rent the buildings themselves, they are sacrificing  60 percent reimbursement from the state  for those expenses.

At the meeting, Moskowitz was clear that she was requiring  all network staff and teachers to both make phone calls and participate in the rally:

“When we ask you to do phone to action, you kind of do it. You can't make people chase you down. … we've kind of gotten loosey goosey here and just know your managers are going to hold you accountable to an extraordinary standard of performance. … When your network are giving a directive, I think we're getting a little democratic here. We are quite hierarchical.

There is a chain of command, and when your boss asks you to do something, assuming it's not unethical or a question of conscience, you do the task. Are we clear? I do not want to have to chase people down for phone to action. Is there some argument or particular reason? Anyone live in New Jersey? Okay, that's not an excuse. I hate to tell you, list your 120 Wall Street address and get it done. ….”

She then told her staff and teachers to take out their phones and make all five phone calls to elected officials right then and there.

According to a report in Labor Notes, Success Academy employees were also required to send emails to elected officials, and were ordered to “submit screenshots of these emails to their managers to confirm they had sent them.”

Success Academy was not the only charter chain to make participation in the rally mandatory for staff, parents and students. It was also required by the Zeta charter chain, founded by Emily Kim, former attorney for Success Academy.   A document sent to staff at Zeta Charter Schools made this clear:

“100% attendance expected from all Zeta families, students, and staff. Each student must attend with a parent/guardian to ensure the safety of every child. Students cannot attend the rally without an adult family member or authorized chaperone.”

Students, their parents and staff had to arrive at Zeta at 6:30 AM to get on the bus to Cadman Plaza, according to the schedule.  If parents wanted to bring their younger children, they had “to bring their own seats for the bus ride to the rally,” presumably meaning they had to pay for their own transportation to get to Cadman Plaza.

Teachers at Zeta were told it was their responsibility to  get parents to attend:

“All teachers must ensure 100% completion through family follow-up calls Mon., Sept. 8th- Wed., Sept. 10th. Your Principal and Operations Director will share a school-wide tracker to follow up and log all family calls accordingly.”

There is a real question about whether mandatory attendance at a political event or forcing teachers to make political phone calls is legal.  The day after the rally, on Friday, John Liu, Chair of the Senate NYC Education Committee and Shelley B. Mayer, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education sent a letter to NY State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa and John King, Chancellor of State University of New York, whose agencies authorize and oversee charter schools. 

Senators Liu and Mayer expressed “great concern that many charter schools in New York City cancelled classes and pressured students, families, and staff to participate in a political “March for Excellence” on September 18, 2025. We urge the state to conduct a thorough investigation into potential violations of state law.”

They also pointed out how “canceling classes during a school day and forcing families and students to engage in a political rally is an egregious misuse of instructional time and state funds. We urge SUNY and the State Education Department to exercise their oversight authority and fully investigate this matter to determine any possible violations of state law, and if such violations are found, to claw back a portion of state per capita funding from each school administration that engaged in this event, and to take steps to ensure future misuse of student’s precious school time does not continue.”

Though they didn’t specify any laws that might have been broken, in 2023 Governor Hochul signed into law Senate Bill 4982, which prohibits employers from coercing employees into attending or participating in meetings where the primary purpose is to communicate the employer’s opinions on religious or political matters. The law also holds that the courts may impose monetary penalties on employers who do this, and that employees can seek “equitable relief and damages” in court if they do.

In any case, this is not the first time that Eva Moskowitz and Success Academy have been found guilty of breaking laws.  Repeatedly, her charter schools have been shown to deny students their legal rights, violating their privacy, and pushing out those who do not make the grade either in terms of behavior or test scores.  A sample of these documented violations are listed at the end of this post.

Evidence of inflated charter rental payments and missing matching funds

Charter schools now drain more than $3 billion dollars annually from the DOE budget, plus charge more than a  hundred million  dollarsper year in rental subsidies.  NYC is the only district in the nation that is obligated to either co-locate charters in public schools or help pay for their rent in private buildings.  This applies to all new and expanding  charter schools since 2014, after they go through a perfunctory appeal process, according to a law pushed through by then-Governor Cuomo and the charter lobby.  The amount spent on their rental expenses by DOE has risen sharply over time –though 60% of these expenditures are supposed to be reimbursed by the state.

In 2019 and 2021, Class Size Matters issued two reports that provided evidence that DOE had overspent on rental assistance to charter schools by $21 million.  We also revealed suspicious charges for rental subsidies paid by DOE to several charter schools, including those run by Success, that owned or subleased their own buildings. 

In one case, the rent for two Success Academy charter schools housed at Hudson Yards increased from approximately $793,000 to over $3.4 million in one year – more than quadrupling , causing DOE to pay  $3 million in rental subsidies for those two schools alone in 2020. 

We also found that public schools co-located with charter schools were owed millions of dollars in matching funds for facility enhancements, compared to the amounts required by state law.  From 2014 to 2019, 127 co-located public schools were owed a total of $15.5 million.

Please email Comptroller Lander and ask him to audit these programs

Shortly after the release of our second report, in March 2022, Senator John Liu, Senator Robert Jackson, and Rita Joseph, chair of the Council Education Committee, sent a letter to Comptroller Brad Lander, urging him  to audit this spending, based upon the troubling findings in our reports.  I recently learned that no such audit has been conducted.  An analysis also shows that Lander has audited fewer DOE programs than any other NYC Comptroller since 2003 at this point in office.

We are now engaged in examining DOE own reports of their spending on charter school rent, which continues to rise sharply higher each year, as well as their continuing failure to provide sufficient matching funds to public schools for facility upgrades and repairs. 

Please email the Comptroller now and urge him to launch an audit on these programs before he leaves office in January,  by filling out the form here. 

Where it says, “Your Suggestion,” please write:

“I urge you to audit DOE spending on charter rent, especially charter schools that own or sublease their own buildings, as well as charters whose buildings DOE rents directly and thus is unable to receive 60% reimbursement from the state.  Also please audit the lack of public school matching funds, as there is evidence that they continue to be owed millions for facility upgrades.” 

Feel free to rephrase this any way you like. 

Below is a brief list of legal challenges that reveal a documented pattern of Success Academy violations, including the failure of these schools to provide students with their mandated services, repeatedly suspending them for minor infractions, violating their privacy, and pushing them out when they do not conform to rigid behavioral expectations or do not score high enough on standardized exams.

Success Academy pushing out students and violating their civil rights

·       In 2016, parents, legal aid groups and  elected officials, including then NYC Public Advocate Letitia James, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, alleging Success Academy had made numerous violations of the rights of disabled students, including pushing them out of their schools. 

·       in 2018, Success was sued by New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), again alleging how they had failed to provide mandated services to students with special needs, and imposed harsh, zero-tolerance discipline. The case was settled in 2018 by Success by paying  $1.1 million in legal fees. 

·       Also in 2018, Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) filed a complaint to the NY State Education Department pointing out how Success denied special needs students their legal rights.  The following year, NYSED issued a ruling  that the charter chain had violated student civil rights under the law.  

·       In 2021, a US District Court judge ordered Success Academy to pay a $2.4 million fine to settle a claim of discrimination against five learning-disabled children, essentially forcing parents to withdraw from the school. 

·       In 2023, an Investigative report by Pro Publica revealed how Success charters make repeated calls to 911 for student misbehavior, often for minor offenses, causing the police and Child Protective Services to be involved, and suspended students repeatedly until parents agree to take them out of their schools. 

Success Academy’s dismal record on privacy:

·       In 2015, Success Academy officials published exaggerated details of a student’s records when he was attending Upper West Success, and shared them with reporters nationwide, to retaliate against him and his parent after they were interviewed on the PBS News Hour about his repeated suspensions and the abusive treatment he suffered at the hands of Success school staff from first grade onwards.  The school was subsequently found guilty of violating both the state student privacy law by the NY State Chief Privacy Officer (CPO), as well as the federal privacy law known as FERPA by the US Education Department, when they finally ruled years later. 

·       In 2016, SUNY Charter Institute noted unspecified violations of FERPA by Success Academy Cobble Hill,  Success Academy Crown Heights,  Success Academy Fort Greene,  Success Academy Harlem 2, and  Success Academy Harlem 5 during site visits, as noted in their Renewal reports. 

·       In 2019, Success Academy Prospect Heights retaliated against a parent by releasing her daughter’s education records to a reporter, including notes from psychologists and her special education plan, after the parent had spoken out about how her child had been effectively pushed out of the school by repeatedly calling home about behavioral issues, threatening to call child services, and sending her back to kindergarten after she started first grade. 

·       In October 2023, a parent filed a complaint that Success Academy Rockaway Park Middle School had improperly posted the grades of her child on the walls of their school.  On December 21, 2023, the State Chief Privacy Officer (CPO) ruled that the school had violated both federal and state student privacy law. 

·       In February 2024, Success appealed this decision, claiming that the parent had signed a consent form allowing this disclosure, but in March 2023 the State CPO pointed out that the consent form did not specify the student records to be disclosed or the purpose for such disclosures, and did not clearly state to whom these disclosures could be made.  The CPO also attached a model FERPA consent form that the school should use. 

·       Yet on March 7, 2024, a different parent whose child attended Success Academy Cobble Hill Elementary School filed a similar complaint, and that her school had posted her child’s name and test scores on a bulletin board in a public hallway at the school.  After she had first raised this issue with the principal, and her concerns were dismissed, she removed the posting from the bulletin board.  The school then banned the parent from entering the building, even to pick up her child at the end of the school day. Again, the school claimed this disclosure was allowed by the generic consent form that the parents had filled out. Yet  as the CPO pointed out in April 2024, the consent form was not specific enough about what personal information would be disclosed, and where, and thus the school had violated both FERPA and NY State privacy law. 

Please fill out and share our new class size survey! Thousands more NYC children are in smaller classes this year - are your children among them?

Sept. 15, 2025

Welcome back to another school year. Along with the cell phone ban, another important change is that 741 schools received funds to hire about 3,700 additional teachers to lower class size, with the goal of no more than 20 students per class in grades K-3; 23 in grades 4-8 and 25 in high school classes.

I’ve heard from teachers and parents how ecstatic they are for their kids to be learning in classes this small, rather than 30 students or more. But still, there are about 1500 public schools in NYC, including 500 or so that DOE admits do not have the space to meet the levels required by law at their current enrollment.

We’d love to hear from you — parents, teachers and other school staff — whether or not your school received this funding, as to what size are your kids’ classes, and if they are indeed smaller, what changes you’ve observed in terms of the classroom environment. Please respond to our brief survey, and if you don’t know, ask your child, your child’s teacher, principal, PTA or members of the School Leadership Team for this info as well.  If you’re both a parent and a teacher at a NYC school, please fill out our brief survey twice, if you can.

It would also be great if you could forward this message to some of these other individuals at your school, and encourage them to respond to the survey as well. Your names will remain confidential unless you say otherwise.

Commissioner Betty Rosa: Shaping Tomorrow’s Schools

Betty Rosa is the State Commissioner of Education.  She received our 2025 Class Size Matters Skinny Award for standing up to the Trump administration when they demanded that the state certify that all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs were removed from our schools.  A judge just confirmed that this order was illegal.  Below is the Keynote address she recently gave at the City and State Education Summit on August 14, 2025, reprinted with her permission, in which she calls for education to address the scourges of  misinformation and disinformation, which are "currently one of the greatest threats to our students and to our democracy." She also connected that goal with the new Graduation requirements she is pioneering.

    Good morning.  It’s an honor to be here with all of you today at this pivotal moment in our state’s -  and our nation's -- history.

It’s a time when our institutions are being tested, when trust is being questioned, and when young people are looking to us for both direction and inspiration.

 

I want to begin with three words. Just three. But they changed the world.  "We the People.”

It’s not just the beginning of our Constitution, it’s the beginning of an idea. 

The idea that a nation could be built not on bloodlines or monarchies, but on shared purpose, collective voice, and active participation.

 

That we could build a society not through power alone, but through principle.

 

And as we approach America’s 250th anniversary, we have a moral imperative to ask ourselves: What does “We the People” mean today? 

And more importantly: How are we preparing our students to carry that promise forward? Because the truth is, our democracy does not—and will not—sustain itself.

Every generation must shape it. Safeguard it. Sometimes, even redefine it. 

That responsibility now belongs to the young people sitting in our classrooms. And that’s why we’re here today.

To ask how we ensure our school communities remain one of the most powerful engines of democracy in our society.

 

To ask how we innovate in ways that are not only effective, but human. Culturally grounded and civic-minded.

 

We often hear the word “innovation,” and we immediately think of new tools, new tech, or new techniques.  And yes, innovation must include all of those. 

 

But real innovation means going deeper.  means reimagining how we prepare students to thrive in a changing world and lead it with empathy, wisdom, and courage.

 

Innovation in education is no longer optional. It’s imperative.

 

How will we shape tomorrow’s schools—not just to meet the moment, but to prepare young people to thrive, lead, and protect the very fabric of our democracy?

 

Our classrooms today are at the intersection of rapid technological change, cultural transformation, and historic polarization.  We are teaching children who are both more connected and, in some ways, more isolated than any generation before them. 

And so, when we talk about innovation, it must mean more than gadgets and technology.  It must mean rethinking what we teach, how we teach it, and, most importantly, why we teach it. 

We must build systems that recognize each student as an individual, as a future citizen with ideas to share, challenges to face, and potential to unlock.

 

As some of you know, I serve as co-chair of the New York State 250th Commemoration Commission to recognize the anniversary of the American Revolution.

 

As we prepare to mark America’s Semiquincentennial in 2026, we have a tremendous opportunity to use this historical moment as both a mirror and a compass. 

New York played a defining role in the birth of our nation.  From the Federalist Papers to the abolitionist movement to Seneca Falls and the fight for women’s suffrage, this state has never been on the sidelines of history. 

So, let’s make the 250th not just a celebration, but a catalyst to reignite civic education and promote service and engagement.

 

Let’s use it to help students see history not as something to memorize, but something to make. To see themselves as more than passive observers—as participants, as the next generation of “We the People.” 

But let me offer a reminder: Education is not the bystander of history. It is the scaffolding of our society.  It is the quiet, daily work that holds up democracy, generation after generation.

 

Our students don’t need us to predict the future. They need us to prepare them for it.

 

That starts with creating a culture of belonging and purpose in every school, in every district, in every community.  In uncertain times, the most radical, most innovative act—is to lead with humanity. Let me pause here and tell you a brief story.

 

Not long ago, I was at a conference focused on learning and teaching models for modern students, where the organizers invited students to provide reflections on what they had heard at the conference.

 

One student shared his concern that the current education system feels too “one size fits all,” which, he suggested, might be a reason some of his peers struggle to stay engaged.

 

That’s not a criticism of educators. It’s a call to action, for all of us, to connect learning to life and make it meaningful.

 

This student, like so many, is growing up with access to more information than any generation in history. 

And yet, we’ve all seen how easily that information can mislead, divide, or overwhelm. 

One of the greatest threats to our democracy, and to our young people, is not simply what they don’t know. It’s what they think they know that may not actually be true.

 

Misinformation and disinformation are currently one of the greatest threats to our students and to our democracy.

 

We cannot assume that because students are adept to the digital world, they are also critical thinkers. In fact, the opposite is often true. 

 

That’s why media literacy must become a core pillar of modern education. A foundational skill, just like reading, writing, and math.

 

Because today, knowing how to verify a source is as important as solving for X or Y. We must teach students to:

·       Verify before they share

·       Recognize bias, both in others and in themselves

·       Understand the algorithms shaping their world

·       Engage in dialogue without falling into division 

That is civic education for the 21st century. 

And it’s how we nurture not just intelligent learners, but culturally competent, civic-minded citizens.

 

Through our New York Inspires graduation measures initiative, we’re reimagining what it means to earn a diploma in New York—shifting to a more meaningful vision grounded in the recommendations from our Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures.

 

This vision reflects the skills, mindsets, and values our students need to thrive—not just in college and careers, but as engaged citizens in a complex world.

 

This work is guided by voices from every corner of our state. We are thankful to the many educators, students, families, and community members who have participated in thoughtful dialogue and public comment.

 

Each of them is critical to ensuring that the path we chart forward reflects both local values and a shared commitment to equity, excellence, and innovation. 

New York’s Portrait of a Graduate offers us a visionary framework for doing exactly that. It doesn’t just define academic readiness; it defines life readiness.

It invites us to build school systems that support whole children—not just academic outcomes. 

Young people who are:

·       Academically prepared

·       Creative innovators

·       Critical thinkers

·       Effective communicators

·       Global citizens

·       Reflective and future focused 

These six attributes are grounded in the principles of Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education. 

A New York State high school graduate who is culturally responsive doesn't just succeed academically—they build strong, respectful relationships and recognize that diverse perspectives are essential to a vibrant, inclusive learning environment.

 

And, a student who embodies both cultural responsiveness and academic readiness is equipped not just to learn but also to lead, grow, and contribute in meaningful ways.

 

Ultimately, these graduates will leave our schools with the interpersonal and intellectual skills they need to thrive in a world that is diverse, interconnected, and constantly evolving.

 

The Portrait of a Graduate is a blueprint for future graduates, where academic excellence meets the ever-evolving world outside the classroom.

 

It paints a picture of students who are not just knowledgeable, but also curious, compassionate, and capable of turning challenges into opportunities.

 

It is a testament to the belief that education is not just about learning facts, but about becoming the kind of person who can change the world for the better. 

This is not just education reform. It is democracy reform. 

So as we approach 250 years of American history, let’s not simply mark the occasion. Let’s answer the call. 

 

Let’s shape tomorrow’s schools to be places where innovation and integrity walk hand in hand. Where students don’t just prepare for college and careers, but for citizenship.

 

Let’s ensure every child in New York is prepared not just to pass tests—but to ask better questions, build stronger communities, and write the next chapter of “We the People.” 

That chapter begins with us. Thank you.