Mamdani favors plantation education that keeps Blacks oppressed

New York City stands at a crossroads in educational policy. Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani proposes to end NYC’s 286 charter schools that serve more than 150,000 students.  He frames it as a progressive approach, but in reality, it risks deepening the very inequalities and inferior education he claims to oppose. By dismantling systems that offer pathways out of poverty through better education – especially for Black and Hispanic students — Mamdani’s plan threatens to further entrench the generational disadvantages that deprive millions of children of the education they need to participate in America’s opportunity economy. 

In a questionnaire from the Staten Island Advance, Mamdani said, “I oppose efforts by the state to mandate an expansion of charter school operations in New York City.”   He also opposed “the co-locating of charter schools inside public school buildings”.  For those already co-located, Mamdani would undertake a comprehensive review of charter school funding to address what he alleges to be the unevenness of our system.”

Mamdani told The Hill that charter schools sidetrack public resources and benefit the wealthy at the expense of lower income families. That is totally untrue – making Mamdani abysmally ignorant of the facts or a consummate liar.  Charter schools and other school choice programs provide the most benefits to lowest income Black and Hispanic students currently trapped in underperforming public schools in the segregated ghettoes of our Democrat-controlled cities.

The Data Speaks for Itself.  Studies have consistently shown that charter schools and choice programs in urban areas outperform traditional public schools, especially for low-income and minority students. Graduation rates are higher, college enrollment is more common, and parental satisfaction is significantly greater. Students are also safer.  These outcomes are not accidental—they are the result of focused leadership, accountability, and a commitment to student success.

To ignore this data is to ignore the voices of the families who benefit from these schools. Mamdani’s plan would silence those voices and replace them with a one-size-fits-all system that has already failed too many.

Mamdani’s plan has received strong pushback from parents – both from those with kids in charter schools and those who would like to enroll their children.

Arlene Rosado, a mother whose child is enrolled in the tenth grade at the Nuasin Next Generation Charter School in the Bronx, said, “I don’t understand why Mamdani would be hostile to charter schools. I think he’s very misinformed.”  She told the New York Post that “Charter schools are helping kids in the community. You should always have a choice. Taking that choice away is not cool.”

Reverend Raymond Rivera, founder of the Family Life Academy in the Bronx, said that the candidate must support charter schools if he cares about Black kids.

According to James Merriman, CEO of thee  NYC Charter School Center, “As a member of the Assembly, Mr. Mamdani has made clear that he was not supportive of charter schools or even the families that chose them, but he has recently and repeatedly said he would be a mayor for all New Yorkers — and that, of course, has to include the nearly 150,000 charter school students and their families.” 

Historic Failure

The public education system in many parts of New York City has long failed its most vulnerable students. In neighborhoods with high concentrations of Black and Hispanic families, schools are overcrowded and underperforming. Charter schools and school choice programs have emerged as lifelines—offering rigorous academics, safer environments, and a culture of high expectations. These alternatives have helped thousands of students gain access to college and career opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach.

Ending school choice would effectively trap students in failing schools based on their zip code. It’s a policy that ignores the lived reality of families who desperately seek better options for their children. It’s not just bad policy—it’s a moral failure.

Consequences of Educational Neglect

Education is the foundation of economic mobility. When students are denied access to quality education, they are also denied access to the jobs, careers, and financial independence that come with it. The long-term consequences are staggering:

• Higher unemployment: Poor education leads to limited job prospects, especially in a competitive, skills-based economy.
• Generational poverty: Without access to college or vocational training, families remain stuck in cycles of welfare dependency.
• Society loses the contributions of millions of talented individuals who could be innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders.

The cost of educational neglect isn’t just borne by the students—it’s paid by all of us. Taxpayers fund welfare programs, subsidize housing, and absorb the social costs of crime and instability in communities where opportunity has been systematically denied.

Education and Segregation

New York City is a paradox.  It is a global capital of wealth and innovation, surrounding pockets of deep poverty and segregation. In many minority neighborhoods, economic vitality is absent. Streets are unsafe, housing is dilapidated, and job opportunities are scarce. These communities function like isolated islands—cut off from the upward mobility that defines the American dream.  This is the byproduct of systemic inferior education.

Charter schools and school choice programs have been among the few bridges connecting these islands to the mainland. They offer students a chance to escape the limitations of their environment and participate in the broader economy. Mamdani’s plan would sever these bridges, reinforcing the boundaries of segregation and economic exclusion.

The Immorality of Denied Education

There is no greater injustice than denying a child the chance to succeed. A good education is not a privilege.  It is a necessity.  And when that necessity is withheld from minority students, it becomes a form of institutional racism and systemic oppression. Mamdani’s proposal, however well-intentioned, fails to confront this reality.  He would continue to doom millions of Black and Hispanic children to poor quality education – and a life of personal dispair.

As long as the public schools in our urban ghettoes ae failing the children, we should be expanding school choice. We should be investing in high-performing charter schools, supporting innovation in curriculum, and empowering parents and students to choose the best educational path.  Reform does not mean forcing every child into the same failing system—it means ensuring every child has access to excellence.

Zohran Mamdani’s plan to end school choice may be articulated as reform and equity, but it risks perpetuating the very injustices it seeks to solve. By denying minority students access to quality education, it condemns them to a future of limited opportunity and economic dependence.

Charter schools and other school choice programs have been gaining popularity in recent – with most opposition coming from school unions and city administrations benefiting from huge union political donations.

Trump Acts

President Trump has called school choice “the civil rights issue of our time”.  He issued a sweeping Executive Order titled “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families.”  It directs the Department of Education to use federal formula funds to support K-12 scholarship programs … to prioritize school choice programs in its discretionary grants … to allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to allow block grant funds to support private and faith-based education … to enable military families to use federal funds for school choice … and for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to use federal funds for school choice programs on reservations.

Congressional Action

Congress is advancing school choice through its “Big Beautiful Bill.”   It includes the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) that allows individuals to donate to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) and receive a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit.  Families earning up to 300% of the median income in their area can use scholarships for tuition, tutoring, books, online classes, and more.

Ending Common Core and Expanding School Choice Act (HR 83) would allow federal funds for disadvantaged children to follow them to public, charter, private, or supplemental education programs.  It is currently in committee.

In many ways, Mamdani is facing an uphill battle in attempting to block school choice.  Let us hope that for the millions of mostly Black and Hispanic children who could benefit, Mandana’s ill-conceived and politically motivated plans fail

So, there ‘tis.

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