A New York City education official is raking in over $190,000 in taxpayer money as the appointed ‘principal’ of a high school that was canceled—and never actually existed, according to a New York Post investigation.
Caleb Haraguchi-Combs, previously a vice principal at Manhattan Center for Science & Mathematics, was named in January 2026 as project director for Next Generation Technology High School, a planned institution focused on artificial intelligence education. Despite the school getting axed months later, his salary jumped from $141,960 to $192,374—matching an acting principal’s pay—with no school to oversee.
Merit-Based Admissions Controversy
City officials quietly killed the project in April after activists protested its merit-based admissions policy, arguing it would deepen racial disparities in a system that already hosts selective schools like Bronx High School of Science. Yet Haraguchi-Combs remains on the payroll in a role with no physical campus or students.
‘They never should have named a principal before the school was approved,’ an education insider told the Post. Others reportedly fumed over the ongoing salary payout when Haraguchi-Combs could be reassigned.
Rapper Alter Ego and Drug References
Public records show Haraguchi-Combs lists the scrapped school as his current role on LinkedIn, touting a ‘human-centered vision of technology education.’ But his side gig as rapper Cal Combs includes lyrics about cocaine and alcohol use, like his 2017 track ‘Roundabouts’: ‘One more bump on that key/one more drink and I’m free.’
It’s unclear if his former employers at schools like Fordham High School For The Arts were aware of his music. The Department of Education has a history of retaining project directors even after projects vanish—raising eyebrows as critics slam the waste of public funds.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/fake-principal-rakes-in-192k-in-taxpayer-dollars-for-a-school-that-doesnt-exist