New York City Schools Face Criticism Over High Spending Amid Declining Enrollment
Jeff Bezos recently criticized the New York City Department of Education for its inefficiencies, comparing its operations unfavorably to Amazon's. The city's public school system is under scrutiny for spending $43 billion annually, despite a significant drop in student enrollment and mediocre performance on standardized tests. The Citizens Budget Commission reports that the city spends $44,000 per student, a figure higher than most states. Despite having 157,900 fewer students than a decade ago, the city operates 39 more schools, with 15% of them running below 50% capacity. Mayor Zohran Mamdani faces challenges in addressing these issues due to entrenched special interests and state laws that maintain funding levels for under-enrolled schools. 
