NYC Principals Union Silences Members After Bombshell Exposé
New York City's school principals union instructed members to refuse answering investigators' questions about procurement practices amid a scandal over Chancellor Samuels' alleged no-bid contracts.
A June 17 email from the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators directed principals to decline any queries posed by investigators, according to the communication obtained by the outlet.
The message, signed by Laurelton School Principal and CSA District 29 chair Estelle Moore, warned that the investigation by the Special Commissioner of Investigation, the independent Department of Education watchdog, remains active.
The email noted that SCI was requesting purchase order documentation that morning and told principals to collect investigator contact information and inform them that a CSA representative would reach out. Principals were also instructed to contact CSA field representative Patrick Burns.
Maud Maron, former Community Education Council 2 President, criticized the union’s approach, stating that beginning with the assumption that principals would incriminate themselves or their union creates poor optics for the CSA.
While the CSA email did direct principals to provide any requested documents or emails to investigators since they constitute Department of Education property, the refusal to cooperate verbally has raised eyebrows.
Investigation Targets Samuels Contract Scandal
The SCI has faced intense scrutiny after reports emerged that the investigative agency allegedly concealed Samuels’ involvement in approving an improper $180,000 no-bid contract.
Samuels authorized the agreement with Kreyco CEO Sean Kreyling in 2023 during his tenure as superintendent of District 3 on the Upper West Side. He allegedly divided payments between Kreyling’s two companies to keep individual checks under the $25,000 threshold that would have activated city oversight.
The SCI report released in June 2025 placed responsibility on Samuels’ deputy superintendent Mariela Graham, who signed a nearly identical contract with Kreyling in 2024. The report made no reference to Samuels’ participation in the arrangement.
SCI Report Contains Contradictions
Despite SCI denying any cover-up and claiming their investigation only examined the years covered by Graham’s contract, their own report contradicted that assertion. The document incorrectly stated that Graham signed a contract with LLN for $180,000 to provide language teachers for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.
Additionally, the report included an email from Kreyling to Graham discussing the payment splitting scheme but failed to mention that Samuels was copied on the correspondence.
Following damaging City Hall hearings that highlighted the cover-up, the agency is now intensifying efforts to investigate procurement violations throughout the city school system, a source informed New York Post.
Widespread Procurement Violations
The DOE spent $386 million procuring services from outside vendors in the 2025 fiscal year, with violations of city regulations plaguing the agency, according to a December 2025 SCI report.
The report warned that procurement rule violations frequently resulted in financial losses to the DOE, led to state and federal prosecutions, and prevented the DOE from engaging the most qualified vendors at fair market prices.
CSA Communications Director Craig DiFolco claimed the email was not an official CSA communication, though he acknowledged it reflected official CSA policy. He stated that CSA always encourages members contacted by investigators to exercise their right to union representation before participating in interviews.
With information from New York Post
