Exclusive | DSA targets NYC public school kids in radical takeover

DSA Members Outline Proposals on Curriculum and Union Strategy at NYC Meeting

Members of the Democratic Socialists of America participated in a virtual meeting titled “Planning for Socialist School Governance” on an unspecified recent date. The session was led by Nina Bruckenthal, co-chair of the NYC DSA Labor Working Group and a math teacher at the public NEST+m school on the Lower East Side, and Amanda Vender, an ESL teacher at the International High School of Sciences in Elmhurst, Queens.

CUNY Kingsborough Community College professor Maureen Fadem addressed the group. She stated that curriculum should be revised within a “democratic socialist frame” and that students should study the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Fadem also called for teachers to receive training on “institutional racism in the training of pedagogy” and described existing curricula as shaped by a “neoliberal and conservative frame.” She has previously advocated for slavery reparations.

The discussion included proposals for publicly funded childcare and education extending from early childhood through doctoral studies. Participants noted that some proposed changes might face limited public support. One speaker observed that school choice options could lead families to enroll children in charter schools and recommended efforts to limit such options while strengthening the United Federation of Teachers.

Bruckenthal stated that the organization could leverage its relationship with Mayor Zohran Mamdani to advance its objectives. The group also discussed inserting priorities into the next round of contract negotiations between the UFT and New York City. The current UFT contract expires on November 28, 2027.

North American Values Institute Research Director Mika Hacker described the meeting as indicating that DSA views the current mayoral administration as an opportunity to pursue its education-related goals. Many DSA members belong to the UFT’s Movement of Rank-and-File Educators caucus. The two groups have jointly organized anti-Israel demonstrations in the city. An internal memo reported by Politico outlined plans to increase influence within the UFT and local politics.

Former Community Education Council 2 President Maud Maron stated that parents should monitor the activities of the participants. She described the effort as an attempt by individuals without children to shape the education of others according to their own views.

No public records or official announcements indicate that the curriculum changes, governance structures, or contract provisions discussed at the meeting have been adopted by the New York City Department of Education or implemented in city schools. The UFT has not reported any formal incorporation of the proposals into its bargaining platform.