SHOCKING: Who Really Designed NYC’s School Plan

NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s $3.3 billion “Green Schools” plan promises to retrofit 500 schools with solar panels and HVAC upgrades, yet taxpayers are being asked to fund a socialist climate experiment crafted by Democratic Socialists while crumbling infrastructure and real educational needs go unaddressed.

Story Snapshot

Mamdani’s Green Schools initiative demands $3.3 billion over 10 years for solar panels, HVAC upgrades, and green schoolyards in 500 NYC schools
The plan was designed by the NYC Democratic Socialists of America Ecosocialist Working Group, prioritizing climate ideology over proven educational improvements
Taxpayers will fund 15,000 union jobs through public bonds and diverted funds while core school issues like safety and academic performance remain unresolved
The initiative redirects resources from private sector efficiency to government-controlled public power schemes, expanding state intervention in energy markets

Socialist Blueprint Masquerading as School Improvement

Zohran Mamdani’s Green Schools for a Healthier New York City plan emerged from collaboration with NYC Democratic Socialists of America Ecosocialist Working Group volunteers, revealing its true ideological roots. The $3.3 billion proposal targets 500 public schools for rooftop solar installations and HVAC retrofits while constructing 500 green schoolyards and converting 50 schools into “resilience hubs.” This socialist framework prioritizes climate activism over addressing fundamental educational challenges like declining test scores, classroom safety, and teacher retention that actually impact student outcomes daily.

Taxpayer Burden for Unproven Climate Experiments

Mamdani projects spending $330 million annually through 2035, funded via green bonds, unspent municipal funds, and state waivers—mechanisms that shift costs onto taxpayers while bypassing private sector innovation. The plan promises 15,000 union jobs through project labor agreements, essentially guaranteeing inflated labor costs that have plagued government contracts for decades. His 2023 Build Public Renewables Act laid groundwork for public power partnerships, expanding government control over energy production rather than leveraging competitive market solutions that deliver results efficiently and affordably for families.

Misplaced Priorities Amid Real School Crises

NYC’s 900,000 students face genuine problems in aging buildings—some over 75 years old—with mold, asbestos, poor ventilation, and structural decay from chronic underfunding. Instead of directing resources toward these immediate health and safety hazards, Mamdani champions climate resilience hubs and solar arrays that serve progressive narratives more than children’s urgent needs. The plan targets schools in communities of color under the guise of combating “environmental racism,” yet funnels billions into green technology experiments while basic repairs languish. This represents classic government overreach: imposing expensive ideological agendas when common-sense infrastructure fixes would deliver tangible benefits faster and cheaper.

Government Expansion Disguised as Progress

Mamdani frames his initiative as addressing climate change and quality-of-life simultaneously, but the reality exposes another layer of state intervention into energy markets and education. By shifting funds from utility companies to public power authorities, the plan centralizes control, undermining private enterprise and free-market principles that have driven American innovation. Progressive coalitions like Climate Works for All applaud this expansion, but taxpayers recognize the pattern: bloated budgets, union favoritism, and unaccountable bureaucracies that prioritize political signaling over measurable student achievement. NYC families deserve schools that educate children effectively, not laboratories for socialist climate policy experiments funded by their hard-earned tax dollars.