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NYC’s public-schools system is now officially a $45 billion scandal factory
The article argues that New York City’s public-schools department is failing in oversight and accountability, citing a substitute paraprofessional accused of killing a jogger and a highly paid principal assigned to a school that was never opened. It presents these cases as examples of wider problems in the $45 billion system.
It says Sayed Mohassib had a documented history of erratic behaviour before he was hired, and that Caleb Haraguchi-Combs earns nearly $200,000 a year despite the planned AI and fintech high school being cancelled. The article also alleges that Chancellor Kamar Samuels approved lucrative no-bid contracts and has withheld information about more than $10 billion in third-party spending; it further criticises schools’ academic results and falling enrolment.
In short
- A substitute school worker accused of killing a jogger had a documented history of instability.
- A principal earns nearly $200,000 despite the planned school not existing.
- The article raises broader concerns about spending, oversight and educational outcomes.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The cases described could point to serious failures in hiring, spending controls and basic management across a very large school system. If a worker’s documented behaviour was not properly assessed, a senior post remained funded after its school was cancelled, and major spending is not transparently accounted for, families and taxpayers have reason to demand independent scrutiny and stronger accountability.
The case against
A few striking cases do not by themselves establish that the entire school system is a “scandal factory”; each allegation needs verification and context, including what officials knew, what safeguards existed and whether the spending followed lawful procedures. A system serving many pupils may face genuine staffing and operational challenges, while academic outcomes and enrolment trends can have causes beyond central management, so reform should be based on comprehensive evidence rather than isolated examples.