Brad Lander Unveils His Comprehensive Education Plan & Vision for Future of NYC Public Schools
With the only education plan in this campaign, Lander will staff every school with mental health professionals, end waitlists for students with disabilities, and double down on commitment to universal 3-K
Lander: As the father of public school graduates & son of a public school guidance counselor, this is personal to me
Watch the recorded press conference; view the photos; read the plan
NEW YORK, NY — Today Brad Lander announced his vision for the future of New York City public schools, the first mayoral candidate to release a comprehensive education plan. Lander’s platform comes at difficult times for our schools, which are not funded fairly and lacking needed resources to educate our children. Pandemic school closures worsened the system’s long-standing problems, including low levels of achievement in reading and math, widening achievement gaps between white and Asian students and their Black and Latino peers, higher levels of chronic absenteeism, and higher levels of mental health challenges, especially among teenagers.
“I’m the son of a public school guidance counselor, a K-12 public school graduate myself, and the father of two NYC public school graduates, so this is personal for me,” said Brad Lander. “Coming out of a pandemic that rattled confidence in public schools, prompted an exodus of teachers, and accelerated a mental health crisis, New York City’s public schools need a powerful new vision that gives our students the tools and knowledge to make our city even greater. I’m proud to be the only mayoral candidate to release a sweeping plan to bolster our education system, and stand up for our city’s most cherished resource.”
Lander continued: “New York City’s schools must be redesigned not for a mythical ‘average student,’ but to lift up every student’s unique talents, needs, and dreams. Our City’s kids, families, and educators deserve more than a system focused on fixing failure — they deserve one built to help every child thrive, every family feel supported, and every educator be empowered to succeed.”
When elected Mayor, Lander will:
Design a school system where every child can succeed. Brad will equip classrooms to support students with diverse needs, gifts, and backgrounds—because classrooms designed for all children serve every child better.
Improve student outcomes. Brad will fully staff schools with mental health professionals and attendance supports, expand real-world learning through CTE and paid internships, and scale innovative, culturally responsive instruction like NYC Reads and NYC Solves.
Expand enrichment and engagement. From fully funding arts education to expanding access to libraries and athletics, Brad’s plan fuels student passion and purpose.
Guarantee access, equity, and belonging. The plan commits to ending waitlists for students with disabilities, ensuring timely evaluations, reliable school transportation, and fully inclusive schools. It also boosts support for newly arrived and homeless students.
Support families. Brad will make good on the promise of universal 3-K and introduce 2-K, drastically expand afterschool and summer programs, and transform every school into a community hub with wraparound services.
Recruit, support, and retain great educators. The plan includes Teacher Centers in every school, more instructional coaches, differentiated support from superintendents, and free CUNY education and loan forgiveness for future educators—especially teachers of color.
Empower educators and families. Parents and teachers will share in key decisions, with support like stipends, translation, child care, and remote meeting options to ensure real participation across the city.
Measure what matters. A public dashboard will track student progress and school quality based on meaningful, research-backed indicators—so that resources go where they are needed most.
Fully fund public schools. Brad will fight for fair, transparent, and adequate funding—ensuring that every school can afford a counselor, librarian, social worker, and smaller class sizes.
Lander’s been a staunch advocate for public schools his entire career. As Council Member, he worked closely with parents, students, and educators to adopt a bold integration plan for the middle schools of Brooklyn’s District 15. Lander helped lead the successful fight against Eric Adams when he proposed to cut the budgets of 77% of the city’s public schools — as they were still reeling from the pandemic. As Comptroller, Brad identified comprehensive strategies to simultaneously better serve students with disabilities while saving hundreds of millions of dollars on due process claims — and published a report on inclusive school mergers can simultaneously reduce class sizes, advance integration, and improve student outcomes.
Janice Bloom, former educator, public school parent and now co-director of a college access organization, said: "I have known Brad since he was my City Councilman many years ago; he is the most principled and effective elected official I know, two attributes that rarely exist in the same person in the world of politics. Brad has always been an ardent proponent of public education as a critical part of our democracy; most importantly, he has shown up across the years and from a variety of roles to deliver on a wide set of specific policy outcomes that move NYC towards equitable, inclusive, high-quality education. These include standing up against funding cuts, creating integrated middle schools, and supporting the right of parents to opt their children out of standardized testing. No other candidate comes close to his record in this arena. I cannot think of a single better way to begin to turn things around in our city and our country than to elect Brad Lander as mayor of New York City."
Lori Chajet, PhD, urban education, director of an education non-profit, former public high school teacher, public school parent, said: “Brad's track record of unwavering support for and innovation within public education, coupled with his detailed plans in "Great Public Schools of, by, and for NYC", demonstrate that he understands what NYC's public schools need better than any other candidate in this race. The ideas in this plan are grounded in what educators, parents, and young people themselves know is needed to ensure "every child thrive, every family feel supported, and every educator be empowered to succeed." As someone who has worked in and with public high schools and colleges across NYC for over 30 years - and has been a public school parent for 18 years - I read this plan with tremendous hope that mayoral control of the schools could lead to the exact change we need in this system. Furthermore, as a former teacher educator and a college access professional, I am particularly excited about Brad's innovative plans to leverage the CUNY system to prepare New Yorkers for critical public service jobs broadly, and specifically to launch a Teacher Corps that will address growing needs of our public high schools.”
Harry Feder, Executive Director of FairTest and former high school teacher, said: "Brad's thoughtful plan will produce a system that operationalizes the best national and global thinking to produce quality education and real opportunity for the City's students. It values teacher professionalism and parent voice. By smartly broadening how we measure success it will enable schools and educators to genuinely improve and excel. New York will finally reestablish itself as the hotbed of great public schools that educate the future leaders of the City and the nation."
Adam Grumbach, former principal and public school parent, said: “Brad's education plan demonstrates that he's the Mayor we need - it is the product of deep research, consultations with educators, parents and students. It identifies the central strengths and weaknesses of the current school system and proposes fixes that are both targeted and doable. Brad has a proven track record of helping to desegregate schools in District 15 as its Councilmember, and he can be trusted to look out for New York City's schools and school children with an eye to equity and excellence.”
NeQuan C. McLean, education advocate said, “As we envision a future where every child thrives, mayoral candidate Brad Lander’s education framework offers a bold, necessary step toward equity, transparency, and accountability in education. Its commitment to a culturally responsive curriculum, robust community engagement, and targeted investments in our most under-resourced schools reflects the values our communities have long fought for. This framework is more than policy; it’s a commitment to our children, our families, and the future of public education. It reflects the bold leadership and community-rooted vision we need from City Hall.”
Thomas Sheppard, Bronx CEC President’s Member, NYC Panel for Educational Policy, said: “Parents advocated for a change to NYS Education Law to create a seat for the NYC Comptroller on the NYC Panel for Educational Policy. As Comptroller, Brad Lander has been a critical resource in assisting me as a School Board member in evaluating the billions of dollars in NYC Public Schools contracts so I may make informed decisions on the best way for the system to spend resources so that our students may have better outcomes. He has also been a champion for holding NYC Public Schools accountable for complying with the Class Size Reduction Law, ensuring that early childhood programs received funding they were owed, gave us the practical impact of budget cuts to 3-K and Pre-K funding on our neediest communities, and joined the community in opposition to Mayor Adams’s $469M budget cuts in 2022. If elected Mayor, I am sure that Brad Lander will put the “public” back into Public Education by centering regulations and resources on our students so they will be set up for success as adults, by reforming the CCEC Election process to strengthen parent voice and participation in the decision-making process, and fair and equitable funding for our school communities so we will continue to have the best educators providing the best education to our students. I commend Comptroller Lander on his commitment to NYC Public Schools, our students, families, educators, and communities.”
Kaliris Salas-Ramirez, Associate Professor, Neuroscientist, former PEP member, said: "As a former PEP member, I always respected Brad's desire to develop nuanced policies that supported all the children we serve in our schools. For Brad, it was not just about contracts and budgets, but also assuring that we continue to support diverse learners through quality curriculum, comprehensive supports and evidence-based practices in our schools for the best possible outcomes for our children. Brad Lander understands that an investment in our schools, particularly in underinvested communities, means better outcomes for our city and social mobility for our families. I am glad this is communicated in this platform that balances accountability, a holistic approach to education, year-round programming for equitable outcomes for all NYC families. This is how we bring families back to our public schools!"
Jonathan Spear, Educational consultant and Founder of MVital Schools said: “New York City’s public schools include some of the best and most innovative in the country. Brad understands how important public school is to all New Yorkers and the future of New York City. He knows what it takes to support dedicated educators, ensure excellence in schools, and help each young person to thrive.”
Dorothy E Siegal, Co-founder of ASD Nest Program, said: "Brad’s plan is not at all the glib feel-good pablum candidates usually spout. The big idea behind Brad’s proposal is that the purpose of school is to help EVERY child succeed in what they want to do in life, one child at a time. I think it’s important to emphasize, as Brad does, the need to support programs that enhance hiring/retaining good teachers and principals — programs like subsidized housing and strengthened professional pipelines. Brad’s visionary education proposal is based on his deep respect for the teaching profession. It strongly counters the Right Wing’s strident campaign of disrespect for public school teachers. Rather we should be continually demonstrating that our public school teachers are deeply appreciated for the crucial work they do in preparing OUR children for a happy, productive adulthood."
Read Great Public Schools for NYC.
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