On Friday, Oct. 3, outside New York City’s PS 9 public school, Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa held a press conference outlining his plan to expand the City’s Gifted and Talented program to as many as 5,000 seats, while ensuring every student from every borough has the opportunity to qualify.
Speaking to the crowd, Sliwa shared his personal experience with the city’s Gifted and Talented program. He said that when he had his two sons tested, there were only 1,900 slots available, placing undue pressure on parents striving to give their talented children the best education possible. It was at that time that he became convinced the program needed to be expanded.
Sliwa said that currently, “an inordinate number of gifted and talented slots are allotted to Manhattan,” and that when you look at boroughs like the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, they have few slots, “if any.”
“So, we should offer the Gifted and Talented program test to everyone of the 75,000 students who attend pre-K,” Sliwa argued. “I think each and every one of them should be offered that opportunity.”
He said that the current administration doesn’t bother to offer testing for the program in areas considered high-crime and in school districts that perform poorly.
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The current administration has decided to not even “bother giving this test to these children because they will probably not qualify,” Sliwa said, adding, “And these are children mostly in black and Hispanic households.”
Sliwa argues that every child should be tested for the program while in kindergarten, an age he says they are “more than capable of being assessed.”
“I am suggesting to all of my opponents that they understand the Gifted and Talented [program] must be expanded into inner-city neighborhoods which we normally describe as poor performing educationally or, with high crime levels,” he said, adding, “And no candidate knows that better than Curtis Sliwa.”
Sliwa’s plan for accountability, safety, and academic excellence
Alongside expanding the Gifted and Talented program, Sliwa’s campaign website outlines several major priorities for New York City schools. His platform calls to maintain mayoral control of the system while overhauling how it operates, including a push to “create a transparent governance model with clear goals and measurable outcomes.”
The plan also targets administrative inefficiencies, proposing to audit and streamline “the bloated DOE bureaucracy, starting with central offices and superintendents,” appoint “an independent inspector general to eliminate waste, fraud, and political favoritism,” and end “wasteful spending and put[ting] funding where it belongs, into classrooms not bureaucracy.”
School safety is another central focus of his. Sliwa’s proposals include fully restoring school safety agents under the NYPD with additional training in de-escalation and mental health awareness, maintaining “safe learning environments by enforcing consistent discipline policies that protect both students and teachers,” and putting “staff safety and student well-being at the center of school discipline, not political ideology.”
His platform also seeks to improve academic standards by emphasizing proven instructional methods such as phonics-based reading, structured math, and strong history and civics programs. Sliwa calls for increased transparency so families know what is being taught and promises to “eliminate failed curriculum mandates that do not improve student outcomes,” while ensuring that classroom instruction is effective and results-driven.
Stronger classrooms, broader access
Sliwa’s plan to fix the city’s schools includes a focus on improving special education and student support by hiring “more therapists and streamline[ing] evaluations to end delays in special education.”
His plan also calls for expanding resources for students with dyslexia, autism, and other learning differences, while ensuring “equal access to speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and counseling for all students.” Families of children with IEPs would gain “greater flexibility in choosing programs that meet their needs.”
His platform also emphasizes expanding school choice and promoting innovation. He wants to lift the cap on charter schools and increase the number of high-performing charters, particularly in underserved communities. His platform encourages using underutilized public school buildings to house charter schools and seeks to ensure transparency and accountability for all publicly funded schools, whether district-run or charter.
The plan also aims to foster collaboration and the sharing of best practices between district and charter schools to improve educational outcomes across the system.
Career and vocational education are another top priority. Sliwa’s plan calls for building “new vocational high schools for building trades, health careers, tech, hospitality, and public safety,” offering certifications in fields like “EMT, EMS, Home Health Aide, and lifeguard training,” and providing training in “coding, mechanics, carpentry, landscaping, and agriculture.”
In addition, modern pathways such as “AV production, video editing, and content creation” would be offered, and financial literacy and job-readiness would be integrated “into middle and high school curricula” to better prepare students for the workforce.
Reviving arts, sports and environmental programs
Sliwa’s plan includes reviving arts, sports, and environmental programs by restoring arts programs such as “band, orchestra, theater, poetry, painting, sculpting, and photography,” expanding athletic programs including “swimming and lifeguard certification,” and reintroducing “environmental and oceanography programs, green space revitalization, and school gardens.” Arts and sports would be used “to re-engage students and reduce dropout rates.”
Addressing truancy and keeping students engaged is another priority, with recognition that many students skip school due to “unstable home lives, depression, or lack of interest.”
The plan proposes providing “alternative learning options that connect directly to career skills and real-world opportunities,” while supporting students at risk of dropping out with “counseling, mentorship, and access to hands-on programs,” and reducing “financial barriers that make it harder for working families to keep kids in school.”
Sliwa calls for smarter spending and stronger classrooms by auditing DOE spending and cutting “administrative bloat.” He wants to redirect funds “into classrooms for supplies, technology, and direct student support,” while increasing teacher pay “to attract and retain top talent,” and push for “a fairer state funding formula that reflects NYC’s cost of living and unique needs.”
The 2025 New York City municipal elections are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Early voting runs from Saturday, Oct. 25, through Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.
Voters can cast their ballots at designated early voting sites, which may differ from their assigned Election Day polling locations. To find your polling place and view your sample ballot, visit the NYC Board of Elections website: www.vote.nyc.
