Gothamist

As he tries to solve New York City’s budget crisis, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is following in his predecessors’ footsteps by vowing to rein in the practice of taxpayers covering the cost of private tuition for students with disabilities. Under federal law, students with disabilities are entitled to a free and appropriate public education. In cases where families can prove school districts are unable to provide the necessary services, they can be reimbursed for private school tuition or providers. Mamdani said city spending on these cases, known as due process claims, is projected to rise to $1.5 billion this year. Now, like mayors before him, Mamdani is promising to serve more of these students within the public school system. “It is time to actually deliver them the kind of education that would mean their families don’t have to consider going to a private school system to receive them,” Mamdani said Tuesday during his executive budget presentation.