Mayor Mamdani pushes nearly $1 billion in cuts from NYC schools budget

Zohran Mamdani instructed all New York City agencies to achieve a 2.5% cost reduction for the next four fiscal periods, a move that could extract almost $1 billion each year from the Department of Education’s $38.6 billion budget. The proposal points to administrative bloat, noting that staff salaries have risen from $186 million in 2010 to $261 million despite a 21% drop in student enrollment since 2003, and suggests a 10% headcount cut could save $26 million.

It also urges a return to 2013-era non-personnel spending, which could free another $60 million, and calls for a higher share of competitive procurement to potentially slash $1 billion in vendor costs. Additional savings could stem from reducing expenditures on special-education “Carter” settlements and consolidating schools with enrollments under 150 students, which currently cost the city $290 million this year. The analysis stresses that achieving these cuts will require decisive political action and a reevaluation of the class-size law’s impact on spending.