Some are questioning how long Chancellor Kamar Samuels is going to be running our nation’s largest school system. I vehemently disagree with the premise that his job should be in jeopardy — let me explain.
For more than a decade, the Department of Education has struggled to recruit multilingual teachers. The city has been on a state corrective action plan to better serve students who are English Language Learners since 2016, but it has been challenging to comply due to a shortage of teachers. This became an all out crisis when almost 50,000 migrant children unexpectedly arrived in our public schools in 2023 and 2024, and many schools lacked staff who could communicate with these children.
While the correct procurement procedures were not followed, the team in District 3 on the Upper West Side, where Samuels was then superintendent, found creative solutions to swiftly get more Spanish-speaking teachers in their classrooms.
There was no personal gain or benefit to any DOE employee in this procurement oversight, only a staunch commitment to deliver for students first. There should be a slap on the wrist for skirting a procurement rule in the midst of a crisis, but the idea that this should lead to Samuels’ departure is absurd.
It’s unacceptable that one of the teachers employed by the vendor was placed in a school despite previously being barred. However, that was a failure of the system of background checks that should apply to every adult entering a school building.
The chancellor and his team should use this misstep as inspiration to upend the DOE’s profoundly frustrating, bureaucratic and slow procurement system to save taxpayer dollars and get vendors swiftly paid.
As Rahm Emanuel famously said, don’t let a crisis go to waste. Here are some smart reforms to ensure rules are consistently followed and the DOE procurement system works better for students, teachers, administrators, and vendors:
DOE is the only city agency that doesn’t use the PASSPort system — the city’s designated digital procurement platform. Moving DOE to the PASSPort system under the oversight of the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services would ensure contracts are appropriately reviewed, efficiently tracked, and reported on alongside all other city contracting. This would also allow for more oversight of DOE contracts so the taxpayers can easily see where money is going.
DOE should conduct a comprehensive review of existing procurement policies that apply to all other city agencies — including cost of living increases, indirect cost allowances, and reporting requirements, and commit to following these policies and practices.
Nonprofits often get paid so late by the DOE that they are at risk of having to shut down — like Sheltering Arms did in 2023 after 200 years of providing social services. By instituting quarterly advance payments, we can effectively ensure nonprofits are paid.
DOE should review their needs during past emergencies and consider RFPs for backdrop contracts to better prepare for future crises and deliver significant cost savings.
DOE should implement annual contracts and procurement training for all superintendents and staff who handle contracts. DOE should also establish a contracts help desk that is available to quickly answer procurement questions.
Samuels took over just seven months ago and he has already demonstrated a deep commitment to our students — especially building a pathway toward universal childcare. When he served as superintendent in District 13 in Brooklyn, we worked closely together and I know Samuels to be a strong leader who will help improve academic excellence across our city’s public schools.
Restler chairs the City Council Committee on Contracts.