Zohran Mamdani has moved to steady New York City’s education landscape by selecting Kamar Samuels as chancellor and reversing his pledge to end mayoral control of the public schools. The mayor-elect tapped Samuels, an uptown Manhattan superintendent with district reconfiguration experience, as he faces a $40 billion system serving roughly 900,000 students. Sources: Daily News, City & State. Mamdani’s reversal on ending mayoral control came as he named Samuels, signaling a preference for continuity in governance while he implements broader affordability and tenant-protection priorities. The decision removes an immediate governance shock that might have complicated negotiations over the incoming state mandate to lower class sizes and federal scrutiny of magnet funding. For higher-education leaders and K–12 partners, the appointments narrow near-term political risk around contracting, staffing, and district partnerships. Samuels’ track record on integration and reconfiguration suggests the department will pursue enrollment and programming changes that have budgetary and hiring implications for charter and higher-ed pipeline programs.