School Vanishes, Salary Stays

Arthur Reed – Down the Middle

NEW YORK — The school stayed on paper. According to the New York Post, its project director’s annual salary stayed at $192,374. Caleb Haraguchi-Combs was appointed to develop Next Generation Technology High School, which never opened.

City records independently confirm that the proposed school’s opening and co-location were withdrawn from the April 29, 2026, Panel for Educational Policy agenda. The plan called for a new high school beginning in the 2026–2027 academic year.

The proposed program would have shared Building M282 with Richard R. Green High School of Teaching and Lower Manhattan Community Middle School. It was a proposal to establish a school inside an existing building, rather than a construction project that somehow misplaced its bricks.

The department told the Post he is developing and supporting other school proposals. Haraguchi-Combs also performs as rapper Cal Combs. Those facts do not establish that he receives pay for doing nothing.

The official withdrawal notice says the school system considered family and community feedback before removing four proposals from the April agenda. Next Generation was one of them; the other changes concerned existing Manhattan schools.

Chalkbeat’s April reporting documented objections to selective admissions and concerns about artificial intelligence in classrooms. Chancellor Kamar Samuels said he wanted more community engagement and to complete the system’s AI guidance before advancing a model such as Next Generation.

The distinction matters: a school that never opens can still generate legitimate planning work. Whether a particular salary remains justified depends on the employee’s current assignment, responsibilities and output. Establishing that requires records of the work performed and the rules governing the appointment.

For taxpayers, the useful follow-up is straightforward: what work is being delivered, who supervises it, and how was the compensation authorized after the proposal was withdrawn? The school’s disappearance from the agenda is documented. The value of the continuing assignment deserves an equally clear explanation.