{"id":2577098,"date":"2026-03-06T20:44:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T01:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nyc-reportedly-put-aside-400m-for-dozens-of-ghost-schools-that-never-opened\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T20:47:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T01:47:22","slug":"nyc-reportedly-put-aside-400m-for-dozens-of-ghost-schools-that-never-opened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nyc-reportedly-put-aside-400m-for-dozens-of-ghost-schools-that-never-opened\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC Reportedly Put Aside $400M for Dozens of &#8216;Ghost&#8217; Schools that Never Opened"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnyc-reportedly-put-aside-400m-for-dozens-of-ghost-schools-that-never-opened%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2577098&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A New York Post report says New York City earmarked about $400 million to renovate dozens of preschools and 3-K centers, but many of the buildings where never opened, creating what the article calls \u201cghost\u201d sites. The piece notes it isn\u2019t clear how much money was actually spent or what was accomplished, as city officials have not released the figures. The funds were intended to support early childhood education for four- and three<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/celebrity-chef-gordon-ramsay-digs-deep-for-teen-with-cancer-before-14-year-olds-death\/\" title=\"Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay Digs Deep for Teen with Cancer Before 14-...-Old\u2019s Death\">-year-olds<\/a> and would have funded up to 27 sites, yet several projects stalled or remained vacant as of last year under Mayor Eric Adams after plans laid during Mayor Bill de Blasio. For example, a College Point, Queens project began with a $28 million price tag; about $16 million has been spent, but the center has not opened. A Ridgewood, Queens project that cost about $13.4 million also remains unopened and is now run by Success Academy Charter Schools. Community organizers described ongoing demand for updates and access from local families,while officials said sites are still in development,awaiting permits or other requirements,with timelines and plans to be announced publicly.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>What does $400 million buy in New York City? Not much, according to a new report that said a fund to renovate schools turned into a money pit with virtually no results.<\/p>\n<p>The report in the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/05\/us-news\/nyc-earmarked-400m-for-dozens-of-preschools-that-were-never-opened-records\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=offthepress&amp;utm_campaign=home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a> that called the buildings &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/demi-moore-blasts-beauty-standards-while-chasing-them-herself\/\" title=\"Demi Moore Blasts Beauty Standards While Chasing Them Herself\">ghost&#038;rdquo<\/a>; preschools, said it&rsquo;s not fully clear how much was spent to accomplish so little, because officials in the administration of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are sitting on those numbers.<\/p>\n<p>In the eyes of planners, $400 million would fix up 27 sites that would house pre-K, targeting 4-year-olds, and 3-K, targeting 3-year-olds.<\/p>\n<p>The glittering and costly project was going to deliver results as early as August 2020, when former Mayor Bill de Blasio was on the scene, through last August, under Mayor Eric Adams.<\/p>\n<p>The Post report said that a center in College Point, Queens, began with a $28 million price tag. About $16 million has been spent to date, but the building has not yet opened.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Community organizers there said parents repeatedly asked the city for updates on the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >planned early childhood education center<\/a>,&rdquo; the Post reported.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">NYC earmarked $400M for dozens of preschools that were never opened: records <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rS9ulFluQY\">https:\/\/t.co\/rS9ulFluQY<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PsbOOhkSWc\">pic.twitter.com\/PsbOOhkSWc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; New York Post (@nypost) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nypost\/status\/2029640314927952346?\">March 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There was much interest and frequent requests for more information by local families who thought of it as an easily accessible site,&rdquo; a representative of the group A Better College Point Civic Association said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As you know, it currently remains closed and empty &mdash; even though we could use the seats,&rdquo; the representative said.<\/p>\n<p>A Ridgewood, Queens, project that ate up $13.4 million but never opened is now being run by a group called Success Academy Charter Schools.<\/p>\n<p>The Post reported that parents were told by the Adams administration last summer that there were no plans to open any of the buildings.<\/p>\n<p>It noted that one renovated building was opened by Mamdani.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re working to create plans for all of those,&rdquo; NYC Public Schools&rsquo; Deputy Chancellor for Early Childhood Education Simone Hawkins said Monday.<\/p>\n<p>However, a representative of the city&rsquo;s Department of Education seemed less positive.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Some sites were commissioned for development by prior administrations without corresponding funding allocated for services, decisions we are not in position to speak to,&rdquo; the representative said.<\/p>\n<p>The representative said locations are &ldquo;often still under active development,&rdquo; waiting on permits or other &ldquo;operational requirements.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Plans will be d publicly once timelines and approvals are confirmed,&rdquo; the representative said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A New York Post report argues that a $400 million fund meant to renovate and open a network of city preschools largely produced few results. The article says officials have not released clear figures on how much money was actually spent, making it hard to assess the program\u2019s true cost. It describes many of the renovated buildings as \u201cghost\u201d preschools and notes that the money hasn\u2019t translated into open classrooms or added seats.<\/p>\n<p>Key points:<br \/>\n&#8211; The plan aimed to renovate about 27 sites to serve pre-K (for 4-year-olds) and 3-K (for 3-year-olds) and was expected to yield results as early as 2020 under Mayor Bill de Blasio and continue into Mayor Eric Adams\u2019s term.<br \/>\n&#8211; In College Point, Queens, a center began with a $28 million price tag; about $16 million has been spent, but the building has not yet opened.<br \/>\n&#8211; A Ridgewood, Queens project that cost about $13.4 million also never opened and is now run by Success Academy Charter Schools.<br \/>\n&#8211; Community members say parents repeatedly asked for updates; they lament that the sites remain closed and that seats could be put to use.<br \/>\n&#8211; Only one renovated building has opened so far, and city officials say plans are being developed for all sites. A deputy chancellor for early childhood education noted that some locations were started under prior administrations without dedicated funding for services, and many sites are waiting on permits or other operational steps.<br \/>\n&#8211; The city\u2019s DOE representative stated that plans will be publicly released once timelines and approvals are confirmed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2577099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghost-Schools-in-NYC.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5152,75269,7332,70917],"class_list":["post-2577098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-education","tag-ghost-schools","tag-nyc","tag-public-funds-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ghost-Schools-in-NYC.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2577098"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2577102,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577098\/revisions\/2577102"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2577099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2577098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2577098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2577098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}