NYC Mayor's Race: Mamdani says he would nix part of Gifted and Talented program

Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani vowed to end the city’s Gifted and Talented public school program for children five years and younger, his campaign confirmed to amNewYork on Thursday.

The democratic socialist’s pledge, which he first revealed responding to a questionnaire in a New York Times article, quickly drew a notable rebuke from his rival, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who called it “destructive” and suggested Mamdani was acting hypocritically given his prior education at a specialized high school.

The program has been criticized among some education advocacy groups for exacerbating school segregation by creating majority white and Asian classrooms while shutting out Black and Latino students, as Chalkbeat previously reported.

Mamdani’s spokesperson Dora Pekec said the plan is aimed at eliminating a program that inequitably separates children at a young age and replacing it with a universal child care system that will benefit all students.



https://www.amny.com/news/mamdani-gifted-and-talented-program-cuomo/