NEW YORK, N.Y. (September 16, 2024) — In response to the turmoil in the Adams administration resulting from ongoing federal investigations and the resignation of top officials, public education advocacy organization the Alliance for Quality Education released the following statement:

“Since he took office, Mayor Adams and his administration have failed to include the needs of New York’s families, and especially our children, among his top priorities. But now, with the scandals, investigations, charges and resignations in his administration piling up by the day, it is abundantly clear that Mayor Adams has more pressing concerns than the job he was elected to do,” said Marina Marcou-O’Malley and Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Co-Executive Directors, Alliance for Quality Education.

“Adams already has a poor track record on looking out for the million students in New York City schools, always instead opting to consolidate his own power and reward those in his circle instead of improving the lives of New Yorkers. He’s been slashing education budgets to fund his own priorities since he came to office. His appointees to the Panel for Education Policy, the only governing body with a check on his power over the Department of Education, is still a rubber stamp for his contracts and initiatives. Last year instead of advocatingon behalf of the city’s education funding from New York State, he chose to prioritize lobbyingfor preserving his own power, with the extension of mayoral control.

“It should come as no surprise now that with that power under threat, Adams is focused on dealing with this ballooning crisis, and not — as he was elected to do — on governing. New Yorkers deserve a leader that will bring the community together, to bring our schools together, and hold their officials accountable. Can Mayor Adams really focus on governing with so much disfunction? It’s a question we all have have the right to ask. Our children and parents deserve to know.”