Socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani once pushed to abolish the city’s admissions test for Gotham’s elite public high schools because he thought it was racist, The Post has learned.
The Queens assemblyman – who is second only to ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in most polls heading into Tuesday’s Democratic mayoral primary – hasn’t said much about the topic on the campaign beyond telling Chalkbeat last week he’d support an independent study of the Specialized High Schools Admission Test for signal out gender and racial bias.
However, when asked by the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club in February 2022 to describe legislation and policy changes he supports to address “the ongoing effect of slavery, racism, colonialism and discrimination” Mamdani – a former specialized test tutor – singled out spiking the SHSAT.
“As a graduate of Bronx Science, I have personally witnessed just how segregated New York City public schools are, especially our specialized high school,” he said at the time.
“I support measures to integrate our public schools and fully fund our education system, including the abolition of the SHSAT.”
The SHSAT under state law is the sole criteria for entry into the city’s eight elite public high schools, including Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech.
Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said the ex-gov has been and “continues to be in favor to keep the exam is.”
Former far-left Mayor Bill de Blasio tried twice to change the law while Cuomo ran the state, failing both times.
His chosen chancellor, Richard Carranza, once called the elite high schools “the epicenter of privilege,” citing a lack of black and Latino representation.
Reps for Mamdani did not return messages.
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