BK community continues to demand justice for fired Superintendent Brendan Mims

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The Bedford-Stuyvesant community is still reeling from the unceremonious firing of Superintendent Brendan Mims, who was commended for his hands-on approach to the schools in his charge. A community petition to get him reinstated has been circulating for the last month, but the city hasn’t budged.

Bed-Stuy falls under the Community Education Council (CEC) of District 16 in Brooklyn. It’s composed of 23 public schools with roughly 4,700 students, 64% of whom identify as Black American, according to statistics from the New York State Education Department (NYSED). In recent years, the district has faced an ongoing instability at the administration level, which has led to the turnover of the last three superintendents.

Mims was appointed a few years ago while former New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks was in office. He was removed from his position by Chancellor Melissa Avilés-Ramos and the Department of Education (DOE) in April 2025 during Spring break and just before citywide testing commenced. Mims was then offered a reassignment overseeing school truancy and restorative justice efforts at what’s commonly referred to as a DOE suspension site. He reportedly refused.

The Amsterdam News reached out directly to Mims for his perspective on the situation. He said he was grateful for the advocacy efforts on his behalf but, under advice from his lawyer, was unable to comment.

Mims brought “transformative leadership” to the superintendent role and helped usher in the city’s Black studies curriculum, said members of the coalition and his colleagues.

“We’re still building momentum to say this was wrong and nothing they’ve said would constitute removing a superintendent with his community partnerships and his record,” said Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman, who’s been leading the charge to get him reinstated. “To put the district in such a position and for the public not to be included –– it’s unforgivable. Certainly, ill-conceived.”

Mims had also reached out extensively to community nonprofits and leaders to collaborate on educational programs for students in the district.

Barry Cooper, founder and executive director of the B.R.O. Experience Foundation in Bed-Stuy, posted the petition to reinstate Mims. His organization focuses on Black male mental health among the city’s youth. He knew and worked with Mims for the last two years, he said, and was outraged that he was removed. He felt the decision was “haphazard” and rushed because of the turnover with previous superintendents. “I think they figured that no one would care,” said Cooper.

Dr. Torian Easterling is the former first deputy commissioner and chief equity officer for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), and currently the senior vice president of Population & Community Health at One Brooklyn Health. He met Mims in 2023 at one of Cooper’s events. They’ve been collaborating on how to recruit more Bed-Stuy students into Easterling’s Young Doctors Project. This is a free year-round mentoring program based in DC, Virginia, and NYC that allows students to explore professional careers in areas of public health, traditional medicine, dental practice, and veterinary practice.

“Mims was committed to finding funding and networking opportunities,” said Easterling. “He was out on the streets developing partnerships, meeting parents. He is the type of leader we need.”

According to current DOE policy, superintendents technically serve “at the will” of the Chancellor and are not union-represented. But as a courtesy, an adequate reason is provided when one is let go. Electeds claimed that after numerous inquiries, they were first told that it was a “personal matter” by Avilés-Ramos, then that Mims was being “unresponsive or unwilling to engage” with support teams, and now there were simply “personnel changes” needed as to why he was fired.

Cooper theorized that Mims’ firing may be because of the discord between him and CEC16 President and Borough President Appointee NeQuan C. McLean. He said that their “visions were not aligned.” The Amsterdam News reached out to McLean via email but didn’t receive a response by post time.

The Chancellor has to follow the steps outlined in the C-37 process to hire a new superintendent. Once qualified candidate interviews are completed, the Chancellor must then consult with the district’s CEC and Presidents’ Council, as well as certain union reps. Zinerman, and other nearby electeds, claim that this process was not properly followed.

“The superintendency is an appointed position and an at-will hire,” said the DOE’s press office in response to AmNews. “New York City public schools [NYCPS] follow Chancellor’s Regulation C-37, which outlines the eligibility criteria and application process, including consultation with the district’s Community Education Council. NYCPS has selected an interim acting superintendent and will begin the selection process outlined in the Chancellor’s Regulation C-37.”

The interim Superintendent Fabayo McIntosh is, by all accounts given to AmNews, another beloved figure in the Bed-Stuy community and considered a strong Black woman in leadership. She was well-received at CEC16’s meeting at the Whitelaw Reid Academy of Arts and Business on April 28. Zinerman said it wasn’t fair that the mayoral administration and DOE mishandling of the situation essentially “painted a target” on McIntosh’s back.

Mayor Eric Adams, who still has mayoral control over the city’s public schools, and the DOE convened a private virtual meeting with Zinerman, Cooper, Easterling, and other community leaders to discuss the superintendency matter on April 30.

The Bring Back Mims coalition then sent a letter on May 5 to Adams further detailing their grievances about Avilés-Ramos’ decision to remove Mims before the school year finished for seemingly unsatisfactory reasons. They sent a subsequent letter on May 7 to the State Board of Regents calling for immediate oversight or an independent monitor to scrutinize the C-37 process until a permanent superintendent is selected in CEC16.

“I think we met for a little over an hour and we shared, we engaged, they shared their thoughts,” said Adams at his in-person presser on Tuesday, May 13. “Termination was not what was in the plan. He made some decisions that led to that…And there were some personnel issues that I shared with the group that counsel told me we could not go into, and I did not, nor am I going to go against the advice of the counsel.”

Adams said that they left off with an agreement to continue the C-37 process and find a replacement for Mims. “And I was very clear. I didn’t mislead them. I said he cannot come back. Some issues are not going to allow him to come back, and I can’t go into those personnel issues,” said Adams.