Mamdani proposes $3.3 billion ‘Green Schools’ program while student performance continues to decline
SCHAUMBURG, IL (February 17, 2026) – As New York City Public Schools, the nation’s largest school district, is laden with long-standing problems, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani believes that “NYC public schools offer a key opportunity for comprehensive climate action.”
“The Mamdani administration will fight to protect New Yorkers from the present and future impacts of the climate crisis while investing in our children…by revitalizing our public schools with healthy, green infrastructure,” according to a Policy Memo titled “Green Schools for a Healthier New York City.”
Specifically, the program calls for the renovation of “500 schools with renewable energy infrastructure … to accelerate NYC’s energy transition and improve learning conditions,” the construction of “500 green schoolyards,” and a campaign “to combat environmental racism in NYC.”
The Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice will “oversee the project,” which is expected to cost $3.27 billion, with the bulk going toward the installation of solar panels at 500 schools.
Sadly, this program will do nothing to improve the awful situation that the nearly 900,000 students in New York City Public Schools face on an everyday basis. New York City Public Schools are not safe for most students. Even worse, New York City Public Schools are not educating students to basic proficiency in reading, writing, math, and science.
With a budget of more than $42 billion per year, New York City Public Schools already spends a sizeable amount of money on “facilities and utilities.” Last year, NYCPS allocated $2.4 billion, 44 percent of its “Operations Budget,” on this item alone. Meanwhile, that same year, NYCPS spent $16.6 billion on “K-12 Schools and Instruction” and $3.8 billion on “Debt Payments.”
Moreover, the administration’s claim that the NYC “public school system urgently needs investment as the climate crisis exposes its weakest points” has been thoroughly debunked by experts at The Heartland Institute. Lastly, the administration’s assertion that retrofitting 500 schools with solar panels, about one-third of all NYC public schools, will result in lower energy bills has been thoroughly discredited as well by Heartland Institute research.
The Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center at The Heartland Institute serves as the “tip of the spear” in identifying and confronting the underreported challenges that threaten American sovereignty, individual liberty, and free-market capitalism. The EIC brings these emerging threats to the forefront of public and political awareness, empowering citizens and policymakers alike to act in defense of freedom and a thriving free-market society.
The following quote can be used for attribution:
“It is hard to believe that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani would prioritize a $3 billion green schools program given that the New York City Public Schools System is in debt, dangerous, and derelict in its duty of educating the nearly 900,000 students who attend NYC public schools. Rather than doubling-down on climate alarmism, which is causing mass anxiety among young people, Mamdani should focus on improving academic performance and basic student safety standards.”
Chris Talgo
Socialism Research Fellow
Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
Read Chris Talgo’s piece on this in Townhall.
If you’d like to interview a Heartland Institute expert on this topic or other topics, please contact Donald Kendal, the director of the Glenn C. Haskins Emerging Issues Center at [email protected], or contact Vice President and Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected]. You can also call/text Jim at 312-731-9364.
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