Schooled: Inside the Nation’s Largest School District

NYC Comptroller Mark Levine Shows Us the Money

As Albany budget negotiations continue to unfold, NYC Comptroller Mark Levine joins Josh, Yiatin, and Deb for a timely conversation about accountability, education funding, and the forces shaping school budgets. Along the way, he hints at changes he’d like to make and offers a serious warning about what the future could hold for education spending.

Finding the Funding

Yiatin, Deb, and Josh lead off this week’s episode with a discussion on other funding streams that schools tap into such as PAs, grants, and Title I, and how that impacts outcomes. Plus, a closer look at a new tax credit for education.

The Untouchable Money Pit

A new eye-opening article came out in The Atlantic about NYC’s education budget, “A Mediocre Public-School Education for Just $40,000 a Pupil [https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/new-york-city-schools-budget/686971/?gift=CqWfULavEiD-ADU4cyJ4j4xoXkqfGwpYO_K1ZJSInnI]” that has everyone talking. Josh, Yiatin, and Deb sit with the author and Assistant Editor at The Atlantic, Marc Novicoff, in a candid discussion on how the ballooning budget got where it is today, and why it’s unlikely to change.

Politicking at the PEP

Emotions are running high after the DOE abruptly shelved several controversial proposals that were set for a vote by the Panel for Education Policy this week including the vote to approve a new high school for accelerated math. Deb, Yiatin, and Josh discuss the political overlay and challenges for the Mayor and Chancellor.

School Calendar Politics and A Consequential Vote

The school calendar for next year is out with some controversy. Josh and Yiatin connect with Audrey Goodson Kingo, a NYC parent and a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in New York Magazine and Parents, on the politics entrenched in the school calendar. Also, Deb shares her thoughts on a consequential vote for a new high school.