Cayla Bamberger
Education and youth issues reporter @nydailynews.com
Tips to: cbamberger@nydailynews.com
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerMamdani takes first step in launching promised 2K program, though key questions remain
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerIn today's paper, @richiefife.bsky.social call's Alden Capital's NYDN Font Gate "another visible marker of a paper steadily abandoning its identity, its readers, and its responsibility to this city."
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerWHAT THE FONT Daily News readers and reporters alike awoke this morning to pages and fonts we could barely recognize. Apparently our hedge-fund owners thought New York's hometown paper needed to look more like generic mid-market wire copy. Sunday vs. Monday, below:
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerI am immediately filled with sadness and rage. Something in me just died, to be quite honest, and it was a murder. I once again feel so bad for my friends who remain and were forced to send the pages to the plant like that. At least we have the DN Union fighting the good fights.
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerNYC schools to reopen Tuesday after remote learning ‘snow day’
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerNew from me -- after NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani plugged "Heated Rivalry" in his snow day press conference, downloads through the New York Public Library surged. NYPL tells me downloads of the eBook and audio book increased by 529% Sunday after the mayor spoke. www.nydailynews.com/2026/01/26/a...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerNYC schools to close Monday due to snowstorm, shift to remote learning buff.ly/xeOZt1z
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerAfter Mamdani reversal, Gov. Hochul proposes 4-year extension of mayoral control over NYC schools
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerGov. Hochul’s budget proposes record school aid, but NYC kids may still get shortchanged
- Rita Joseph is expected to be tapped to lead the Council's less prominent Committee on Higher Education, a post Dinowitz used to hold
- New: Council Speaker Julie Menin plans to tap key allies Eric Dinowitz, Oswald Feliz, Shaun Abreu and Shekar Krishnan as chairmen of the Council’s education, public safety, transportation and oversight committees, per sources. www.nydailynews.com/2026/01/14/m...
- The Trump admin opened an investigation today into NYC public schools over a policy that allows trans students to participate in sports aligned with their gender identity, federal officials announced in a news release. www.nydailynews.com/2026/01/14/t...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerMamdani slams Adams outreach efforts at 3-K, pre-K application launch
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerGov. Hochul proposing expansion of free community college program with focus on nursing
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerHochul State of the State plan to deliver child care for NYC 2-year-olds may fall short of need
- Gov. Hochul is set to announce a free child care program for 2-year-olds along with Mayor Mamdani on Thursday, a major first step toward implementing one of the mayor’s key campaign promises w/ @c-sommerfeldt.bsky.social www.nydailynews.com/2026/01/08/h...
- 2-Care will launch in NYC's "high-needs" neighborhoods this fall, before expanding citywide by the 2029-30 school year. The state will fund it for the first two years. It's not clear what will happen after then.
- The gov's office says there's enough money in the budget to fund it next school year without tax hikes. Again, unclear what happens after then.
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View full threadMamdani takes an early victory lap for this first phase of a dramatic child care expansion: “To those who think that the promises of the campaign cannot survive once confronted with the realities of government, today is your answer.”
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerMamdani slams Trump freeze on child care funding as NYC braces for potential cuts
- It's official: Mamdani picks Kamar Samuels, a Manhattan superintendent, for NYC schools chancellor. In the same breath, Mamdani eliminated a major uncertainty for Samuels: The mayor-elect will ask to retain control of the schools. (He campaigned on the opposite.) www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/31/m...
- Mamdani said Melissa Aviles-Ramos will stay on for the next month to help with the transition. Unclear what that entails, but the outgoing chancellor has already released a "farewell message" to NYC families. www.schools.nyc.gov/about-us/mes...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerMamdani's DOE chancellor announcement today will be in the same spot in Manhattan where Mamdani was initially going to have yesterday's appointment presser (which was moved on short notice). Begs the Q if yesterday's presser was initially going to be the chancellor announcement.
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerA source said the schools chancellor selection process has left some on the Mamdani transition disillusioned after lots of behind-the-scenes jockeying for the various different candidates. "That could have been done better," source said. w/ @caylabam.bsky.social www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/30/m...
- Reposted by Cayla Bambergerif the mta sold F/M swap merch they'd be funded for the next decade
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerCity Hall says "expect more news soon" on whether Adams will fill the two remaining mayoral vacancies on the PEP If he does, Mamdani will not be able appoint anyone to NYC's school board until June unless other mayoral appointees resign
- Adams has appointed a former GOP councilman to NYC's schools oversight panel, as the mayor continues to stack boards related to housing, policing and now education before Mamdani takes office, w/ @c-sommerfeldt.bsky.social @josiestratman.bsky.social www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/15/a...
- Adams has appointed a former GOP councilman to NYC's schools oversight panel, as the mayor continues to stack boards related to housing, policing and now education before Mamdani takes office, w/ @c-sommerfeldt.bsky.social @josiestratman.bsky.social www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/15/a...
- Reposted by Cayla Bambergerat least i will be able to console my Mets woes soon by losing $30,000 on the Moody Blues themed slot machine at Steve Cohen's Hard Rock Casino
- The Day Care Council of New York, a membership org, is out with a new report on the state of the workforce: To achieve universal child care under Mamdani, DCC estimates NYC must hire 30,000+ workers. That's on top of the 5,000 needed every year to backfill vacancies. www.dccnyinc.org/wp-content/u...
- "This sum is not insignificant," the report's authors write. "That would mean close to doubling the workforce we have today."
- The estimate is based on approx. population and uptake rates that are subject to change: For ex, it assumes that about half of parents with kids younger than 1 would want to participate in this program, 60% of 1-2 year olds, etc. We've reported on the demand: www.nydailynews.com/2025/09/27/y...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerICYMI over weekend: Bill de Blasio has been actively urging Zohran Mamdani's team to appoint Meisha Porter, his old NYC schools chancellor, to the post. Mamdani's also considering keeping current Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. w/ @caylabam.bsky.social www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/07/n...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerNew: Before getting a multi-million dollar contract from Mayor Adams’ admin to install “panic buttons” in NYC public schools, Florida-based SOS Technologies hired the lobbying firm founded and operated by Frank Carone, Adams' longtime political confidant. www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/01/c...
- Mamadou Mouctar Diallo, the Brooklyn transfer student whose federal immigration arrest sparked outrage and protest over the summer, has been granted asylum and released from detention, according to his lawyers. www.nydailynews.com/2025/12/01/n...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerNew York cellphone ban boosts student learning, social skills: ‘We hear increased laughter’
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerStunning moment: Mamdani is asked if he still considers Trump a fascist. As he begins answering, Trump, while slapping Mamdani on the arm, interrupts: "Just say yes, I don't mind."
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerTrump takes off the table -- at least for now -- any cuts to federal funding for NYC. "I expect to be helping him, not hurting him, a big help because I want New York City to be great," he says. Trump even says he'd be "very, very comfortable" living in NYC under Mayor Mamdani.
- Magnet schools can draw down $12M in prior year funds while NYC's legal battle w/ the Trump admin over gender policy continues www.nydailynews.com/2025/11/20/n...
- Reposted by Cayla Bamberger“All we’ve been asking for this whole time is to be treated like the worthwhile investment we are— the last true local tabloid in New York City, covering issues that matter to everyday Gothamites while still managing to scoop our larger, better paid competitors.”
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerFewer international students enroll at SUNY amid Trump administration crackdown
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerPrincipals + parents we spoke w/ at several schools that received exemptions hadn’t even heard about them, much less requested them.
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerNew w/ @alexzimmerman.bsky.social: NYC declared victory on a major class size deadline: >60% of classes under the caps. What they didn’t mention: they only got there by quietly declaring 10,500 classes exempt. W/o those, DOE would’ve been at 59.5% compliance: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
- Fuleihan led de Blasio's budget office from 2014 thru 2018, funding universal pre-K. He returns to City Hall as Mamdani looks to launch universal child care:
- NY is getting a $1.7M payout in the wake of the 2021 Illuminate hack, which compromised the personal data of approx. 1.7M current and former students from 750 schools statewide, per the NY AG's office: ag.ny.gov/press-releas...
- The settlement also requires that Illuminate take steps to better protect students’ personal info, as outlined below. Background here: www.nydailynews.com/2022/03/25/d...
- At the time, the Illuminate hack was considered the largest-ever breach of K-12 student data in the nation
- "Mr. Mamdani’s strongest performance was with younger voters. He carried precincts where the median registered voter’s age was 45 or younger, beating Mr. Cuomo by 30 percentage points. That mirrored his dominance among young voters in the primary." www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerNYC asks principals to apply for next round of cash for smaller class sizes
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerWhat research says about Mamdani and Cuomo’s education proposals New York City, where I live, will elect a new mayor Tuesday, Nov. 4. The two front runners — state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent — have largely ignored the…
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerThis is the first contract for Daily News employees in more than three decades. We want to thank everyone for their support in this struggle. It can sound trite, but it's true: When we fight, we win. Long live the Daily News.
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerHighlights include: a $60k salary floor that climbs to $63k in May; 6% raises over six months; new benefits like healthcare for our part-timers; preservation of a key time-off benefit for our sportswriters.
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerWE HAVE A DEAL: We are happy to share that all of our hard work - and with the support of the people of New York - we have a tentative agreement on our first contract with Alden Global Capital
- Breaking news: NYC school bus shutdown has been averted, for now. The remaining bus companies say they have agreed to sign an emergency extension. ICYMI, yellow bus service would’ve been discontinued for tens of thousands of students by Monday. Story TK
- NYC public schools are suing the Trump administration after it slashed millions of federal dollars from local magnet programs, as part of a campaign against policies supporting transgender students. www.nydailynews.com/2025/10/16/n...
- A SpongeBob lego set, an Uno deck, and an uptick in digital cameras. One month into a new statewide cellphone ban, NYC families and teachers reflect on how it's going: www.nydailynews.com/2025/10/11/n...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerMamdani, Gov. Hochul agree on universal child care. How to pay for it? Not so much gothamist.com/news/mamdani-gov-ho…
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerThe Daily News' @simko-bednarski.bsky.social is talking about the @nydnunion.bsky.social's fight for a fair contract with Alden Global Capital on the @majorityreport.bsky.social. Check it out live: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYji...
- Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic front-runner in the NYC mayoral race, said Wednesday he wants to double the size of a program for homeless students at public schools, if he is elected: www.nydailynews.com/2025/10/08/m...
- The 2-page plan, detailing a promise he made during the primary, is to grow the # of students in "Every Child and Family Is Known" from 3,200 to 7,000 homeless students in his first year as mayor, before expanding citywide. Staff hold daily check-ins with kids and weekly meetings with their parents.
- He would also: - Expand the program from 125 to 230 schools - Set aside $8.6 million for the expansion ($1,200 per student) - Start with the “highest-need” schools with 10+ kids in shelters - Fund overtime pay for teachers serving as "caring adults," as well as books, laundry, and staff training
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerThe @nydnunion.bsky.social is outside the SLT gym on Flatbush Ave, where Private Equity raider Heath Freeman is an investor. Heath has money to fund gyms, marinas and restaurants, but not to give Gotham’s hometown reporters a fair and decent contract.
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerMamdani plan to scale back NYC gifted and talented program reignites simmering
- Reposted by Cayla Bamberger"Roberts was named superintendent in 2023. A district profile states he was born to immigrant parents from Guyana and grew up in Brooklyn, New York." -- www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/202...
- An immigration judge has denied the asylum claim of Dylan Lopez Contreras, the Bronx transfer student who last spring became the first-known local school kid to be swept up in President Trump’s immigration crackdown: www.nydailynews.com/2025/09/24/n...
- Dylan remains detained in Pennsylvania, where he has one month to appeal the judge's order — which his lawyers say they're already preparing to do
- The Trump administration is set to withhold millions of dollars from NYC magnet schools, after the U.S.'s largest school district defied a deadline to agree to policy changes for transgender students: www.nydailynews.com/2025/09/24/c...
- New this PM: City Hall just indicated it may sue... "While Mayor Adams may not agree with every rule or policy, we will always stand up to protect critical resources," said press secretary Kayla Mamelak Altus. "We are reviewing all of our options here — including litigation."
- This comes as the mayor has made known he very much so does *not* agree with NYC's gender policy on school bathrooms, which his admin may could have to defend in court (if they do pursue litigation) www.nydailynews.com/2025/09/22/n...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerEven as Mayor Adams echoes the Trump admin in vowing to rescind NYC schools' gender neutral bathroom policies, Adams' Education Department sent a letter last week questioning the legitimacy of Trump's threat to pull funding over the issue. w/ @caylabam.bsky.social www.nydailynews.com/2025/09/22/n...
- 1/3 NYC students were considered chronically absent last school year. It’s a far cry from where observers hoped city schools would have rebounded to by now, years after COVID school closures. (City Hall, meanwhile, called it a “historic success.”) www.nydailynews.com/2025/09/17/o...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerNYC schools to distribute 350,000 free Chromebooks
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerNYC students not getting enough help to learn English: comptroller’s audit
- Zohran Mamdani at I.S. 5 in Elmhurst, Queens w/ UFT for the first day of school — and start of the new phone ban: “I'm fortunate when I went to school in this city, it was before the peak of social media… bc to be young in this moment is to feel a relentless amount of pressure.”
- Mayor Adams speaks to the inaugural class of HBCU Prep, a new HS partnering with Delaware State University. “You are the Eric Adams and the Ericas of tomorrow,” he tells them.
- As NYC public schools get ready to implement a statewide cellphone ban, cyberbullying has risen sharply since the pandemic forced young people onto their devices, according to a student survey. www.nydailynews.com/2025/08/05/m...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerScarsdale High School grad Yeonsoo Go released from ICE detention
- "The delays mean children may go without the transportation, physical therapy, counseling, and tutoring services they’re entitled to — or their parents may be forced to pay out of their own pocket" via @alexzimmerman.bsky.social www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
- "For parents whose children were at the lead positive centers, two of which are run by nonprofits in conjunction with New York City Public Schools, the lack of an emergency plan for childcare at those centers closed for abatement left them frustrated and even led one mom to lose her job."
- Four children in three childcare centers in NYCHA complexes had elevated levels of lead in their blood in a three-month span between October 2024 and the beginning of January, report shows. www.thecity.nyc/2025/07/02/h...
- NYC students are showing early signs of progress in reading after the Adams administration overhauled how the subject is taught in public schools. Reading scores on quick, periodic assessments known as “screeners” increased by 2.5 points over a year: www.nydailynews.com/2025/07/02/n...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerSchools across NYC are celebrating graduation this week. At ELLIS Prep, which still has a student in ICE detention, national immigration politics loomed large over the ceremony: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerNew from me, @caylabam.bsky.social and Emma Seiwell — sources tell us that 100-120 ICE detainees are currently held at MDC Brooklyn, notorious for hellish conditions. Props to the Miami Herald, which was 1st to report that MDC was chosen to hold ICE detainees. www.nydailynews.com/2025/06/25/i...
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerJUST IN: "Tonight was not our night," Cuomo says before adding that he has called Mamdani to congratulate him.
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerEnormous cheers as Lander announces Cuomo’s concession. “Wr are not gonna let anyone divide muslim new yorkers and jewish new yorkers” Lander says.
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerAt Brad Lander's election night party in Brooklyn, the energy is that of a victory, not at all a defeat. "We are on a path to win a city that all New Yorkers can afford and where everyone belongs," Lander says.
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerAdams called it part of "the beauty of America" that he could refuse to call on Chris — for more than three months now. "Other countries, you don't have that luxury," he said of the freedom of the press, "other countries you're dragged away if you do something wrong."
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerMayor Adams might have let our senior City Hall reporter @c-sommerfeldt.bsky.social in the room today — a week after banning him for asking a question — but he doubled down on and refused to call on Chris. This even after two other reporters yielded their time to Chris.
- Reposted by Cayla Bamberger“What matters is that by singling him out and banning him from his news conferences, Adams is sending a dangerous message to other reporters who write tough stories about him.”
- Reposted by Cayla BambergerMagistrate Judge Hammer: I order Mr. Khalil released upon his counsel turning in his passport in Jena. The government will provide a certified copy of the passport, barring international travel except for self-deportation. Travel limited to NY and MI, NJ & LA
