Full Breakdown
Democratic Socialists of America Plot Influence Over NYC Public Schools
7/26/2026, 8:37:54 PM
Planned Takeover of NYC School Governance
A meeting organized by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Labor Working Group outlined a strategy to reshape New York City public-school curricula and governance. Participants advocated teaching “class consciousness” and “race consciousness,” proposing a curriculum framed around Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The group also discussed leveraging the upcoming United Federation of Teachers (UFT) contract negotiations to embed their agenda, and they highlighted the mayor’s office as a potential conduit for policy change.
Key Participants and Planned Actions
- Nina Bruckenthal – Co-chair of the DSA Labor Working Group and math teacher at NEST+m; described the mayor as a “window of opportunity.”
- Amanda Vender – ESL teacher at the International High School of Sciences; co-led the meeting.
- Maureen Fadem – Professor at CUNY Kingsborough Community College; called for curricula taught in a “democratic socialist frame.”
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani – Identified by participants as a socialist ally whose relationship with the DSA could be leveraged.
- UFT contract – Set to expire Nov. 28, 2027; the DSA plans to insert its demands into the bargaining process.
Official Statements & Responses
Bruckenthal asserted that the DSA’s connection with the mayor allows the organization to “leverage” municipal influence and that contract bargaining offers a “strategic and winnable” path to achieve policy goals. Fadem argued that the existing curriculum reflects a “neoliberal and conservative frame” and must be overhauled to incorporate socialist perspectives and instruction on institutional racism. The group also pledged to expand free childcare and education from “cradle to PhD” and to strengthen the UFT’s rank-and-file caucus to advance these reforms.
Criticism & Opposition
Parents and educators expressed alarm at the proposed agenda. Maud Maron, former president of the Community Education Council, warned that the DSA’s plan amounts to “grooming” children to adopt its beliefs. Critics contend that the DSA’s efforts represent a power grab over public-school governance.
Verbatim Quotes
- “DSA does have a relationship with the mayor and we can leverage that,” — Nina Bruckenthal
- “Childless apparatchiks seeking access to other people’s children in order to convert them to their beliefs is the definition of grooming. Hands off the kids,” — Maud Maron, president
- “We can make real wins through our contract bargaining process. I would argue for this group, something that is strategic and winnable could be won through our bargaining,” — Nina Bruckenthal
