NY Appleseed's Response to Chancellor Samuels’ Decision to Withdraw Proposal Opening Next Generation Technical High School

4.28.25 at 9:00 AM- New York Appleseed commends Chancellor Samuels on the announcement made Monday that NYCPS is pulling the current proposal to open Next Generation Technical High School for the next school year. In our April 17th letter to the Panel for Educational Policy, which has garnered support from over 50 community organizations and parents/caregivers alike, we raised serious concerns that approving a high school touting a screened admissions method contradicts the Chancellor’s stated values of supporting truly integrated schools. The letter cites years of reporting that demonstrate the disparities created and/or perpetuated by the use of screened admissions. Our letter also highlights the inadequacy of the current Educational Impact Statement and the need for more robust guidance on community engagement.

The reversal of the proposal is an encouraging step. And while we recognize that Chancellor Samuels has signaled a desire to revisit these proposals with stronger community engagement–and we welcome that commitment and offer our partnership in that process– that openness for engagement must be matched with policy changes that ground the goal in accountability. 

We urge the administration to formally adopt the recommendation to place a moratorium on new screened high schools unless their admissions process explicitly intend to meet adopted integration goals. We also urge NYCPS to begin the process of revising Chancellor Regulation A-190 to require more robust community engagement for all school utilization proposals, and to ensure that any future proposal’s Educational Impact Statement includes disaggregated data by race, income, disability, language, and housing status.

New York Appleseed is hopeful that this decision was informed by the clear and well-documented equity concerns raised by communities and advocates alike. We now look to, and are hopeful that, this administration will take those same concerns and codify them into policy and programming that will truly produce equitable, inclusive, and integrated schools. That is work we are ready and eager to do together.

Download Statement Here