Overview
- City state English Language Arts scores released Friday showed about a 6 percent year-over-year decline for grades 3–8 and left roughly half of students rated proficient.
- United Federation of Teachers President Mike Mulgrew publicly faulted the NYC Reads rollout for uneven school plans and extra supplemental programs that he says failed to improve results.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended NYC Reads as based on effective practices and said he remains confident in the initiative’s design.
- The City Council passed a bill last month to give paraprofessionals a $10,000 pay increase but the mayor has signaled he prefers raises be settled through collective bargaining and has not signed the measure.
- The split threatens the political alliance that helped elect Mamdani, could affect services for special‑needs students who rely on paraprofessionals, and may prompt escalated union action if the pay bill remains unsigned.