Mayor Mamdani fills education panel with left-leaning activists amid rising reading failures

Zohran Mamdani, the newly elected mayor of New York City, selected thirteen members for the Panel for Education Policy, three of whom are noted for their far-left activism. Lucas Koehler, former City College CFO, advocated for segregated antiracism sessions while at the Department of Education; Raysa Rodriguez leads the Citizens Committee for Children, which has called for defunding police; and Madeline Fox, a CUNY Graduate Center professor, co-signed a letter denying antisemitism on U.S. campuses and accusing Israel of genocide.

Concurrently, state reading test failures among third- to fifth-graders jumped roughly ten points, now exceeding half of those students. An Empire Center poll indicates that 95% of New Yorkers prioritize improvements in reading and math scores, yet the mayor’s appointments emphasize social-justice oversight over concrete academic strategies. Critics argue the administration lacks a clear plan to raise proficiency or curb chronic absenteeism, focusing instead on ideological goals.