New York, NY – October 2, 2025 – PLACE NYC, Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education, strongly condemns mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s announcement today on his plan to immediately phase out New York City’s Gifted and Talented (G&T) programs for kindergarten students, if elected. This proposal will effectively dismantle a vital pathway for accelerated learning in our public schools. It is a reckless step backward that ignores the proven, research-based benefits of G&T programs and undermines educational opportunities for NYC families.
“As parent leaders who formed PLACE NYC in 2019, soon after then-Mayor DeBlasio’s School Diversity Advisory Group (SDAG) recommended ending G&T, we have fought tirelessly against efforts to eliminate these programs,” said Yiatin Chu, Co-President of the group. NYC’s Gifted and Talented programs serve thousands of students in all five boroughs, providing the rigorous curriculum necessary to challenge and nurture their potential from an early age. Eliminating them does not promote equity; it erodes merit-based education and leaves our brightest young minds underserved in standard classrooms ill-equipped for their needs.
“Mr. Mamdani’s plan echoes the failed de Blasio-era policies that worsened education outcomes and exacerbated division among families, doing nothing to support public school students’ actual learning needs.” said Lisa Marks, Co-President and mother to three public school students.
PLACE NYC calls on voters to reject this destructive agenda and to support leaders committed to expanding opportunities for rigorous education, G&T, and accelerated programs, in all districts and neighborhoods across NYC.
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