Progressive City, Pricier Chancellor—Guess Who Pays

New York City’s new schools chancellor is reportedly pulling down a $363,000 paycheck that tops the socialist mayor’s salary, raising hard questions about priorities in a struggling school system taxpayers already feel is out of control.

Story Snapshot

NYC Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels reportedly earns $363,000, more than Mayor Zohran Mamdani, according to a salary claim circulating in city politics.
Samuels now runs the nation’s largest school system, appointed by Mamdani after campaigning against traditional mayoral control of schools.^[1]^[2]
Public records show Samuels made about $264,000 in a prior 2024 education role, suggesting a sharp pay jump when he became chancellor.
Official biographies and reporting confirm his position and power, but not yet a primary payroll record matching the exact $363,000 figure.^[1]^[2]

High-Paid Chancellor in a System Parents Say Is Failing

New York City Public Schools confirms that Kamar H. Samuels is now the Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, the largest school system in the United States, giving him immense power over curriculum, discipline, and billions in education spending. Chalkbeat reports that Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani selected Samuels as his schools chancellor as he shifted his stance on mayoral control, tying Samuels’ authority directly to Mamdani’s political project.^[1] Together, they now steer a system many families believe has drifted from academic rigor toward ideology.

City and State New York notes that Samuels will lead the Mamdani administration’s education agenda and navigate how New York City governs its schools going forward, underscoring that his role is central to the mayor’s progressive education vision.^[2] City Journal describes Samuels as having laid out a vision in a letter to staff that sparked debate over whether he will prioritize academic rigor or continue equity-driven integration schemes that have already frustrated many parents. Against that backdrop, any report that he now earns more than the mayor hits a nerve with taxpayers weary of outsized public-sector compensation.

What We Know – and Do Not Yet Know – About the $363,000 Figure

Publicly available documents clearly establish Samuels’ position and history but do not yet provide an official payroll line confirming the precise $363,000 salary now being reported.^[1]^[2] New York City Public Schools’ leadership biography introduces him as chancellor and emphasizes that he oversees the nation’s largest school system, but it does not publish his compensation. Chalkbeat and City and State New York both cover his appointment and responsibilities, yet neither report a salary figure, reinforcing that the $363,000 number comes from a separate, still-unseen source.^[1]^[2]

Government salary data from GovSalaries shows that in 2024, Kamar Samuels was employed at the city’s Department of Education as an education administrator and drew an annual salary of $264,425, already far above the pay of most classroom teachers and many principals. That record predates his elevation to chancellor in 2026 but strongly suggests that his pay rose substantially when he moved into the top job. While that lends plausibility to a mid–$300,000 compensation package, the absence of a primary payroll record means the exact $363,000 claim should be treated as unverified until the city releases definitive numbers.

Power, Pay, and Progressive Priorities Under Mamdani

Chalkbeat explains that Mamdani reversed his earlier opposition to mayoral control when he named Samuels, effectively concentrating authority over the school system in the hands of a progressive mayor and his chosen education chief.^[1] City and State New York underscores that Samuels is central to tackling the administration’s education challenges, from governance fights to academic performance.^[2]

City Journal urges that Samuels focus on academic rigor rather than integration-driven social engineering, reflecting growing concern that New York City’s education elite prefers ideological experiments over reading, writing, math, and classroom discipline. K12 Dive likewise highlights that Samuels faces major challenges in improving rigor and equity, including changing perceptions around math and reading success, a sign that student outcomes have lagged under past approaches. For many conservative observers, combining immense centralized power, unproven progressive strategies, and a top-tier salary—possibly higher than the mayor’s—captures exactly what feels broken in big-city governance.