Schools
Upper West Side School District Gets A New Superintendent
The new Upper West Side superintendent might be new to the neighborhood, but he's not new to the job.
UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A citywide hiring blitz for superintendents will mean a new leader of the Upper West Side school district, city officials announced Monday.
Monday's announcement comes after a months-long hiring process that included both new candidates and existing superintendents, who were asked to reapply for their jobs as Schools Chancellor David Banks plans to expand the responsibilities of the position for the next school year.
Kamar Samuels will be the new superintendent for the Upper West Side's District 3.
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He is replacing Christine Loughlin.
"These leaders are ready to embrace the expanded role of superintendent," Banks said Monday. "With this team of leaders, our future is bright."
Find out what's happening in Upper West Sidewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Samuels might be new to the Upper West Side, but he is not new to the job of superintendent.
Samuels previously served as the leader of District 13, which covers Prospect Heights as well as Clinton Hill, Fort Green, Brooklyn Heights and part of Bed-Stuy. He led the district from at least the start of 2020.
Samuels was in the news in 2021 for supporting a "more inclusive" alternative program to the gifted and talented program that New York City schools have used for years.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio caused waves at the end of 2021 when he announced a proposal to phase out the city's current version of the gifted program, arguing that the classes were segregated.
Even before de Blasio made the announcement, Samuels had voiced and funded his support for schools in his district to become International Baccalaureate schools, which is a more inclusive version of the gifted program, reported ChalkBeat.
You can read more about Samuels and his work on the matter in this article: A Brooklyn district forges its own path to replace segregated ‘gifted and talented’ programs.
The new superintendents were chosen after several Town Hall meetings that were scheduled when families and officials found out their superintendents seemed to be ousted without community input.
Patch reporter Anna Quin contributed to this report.
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