Class size briefing & strategies parents/teachers can use to advocate for their schools to get smaller classes soon!

June 28, 2026

The state-mandated class size hearings are being held tonight Monday June 29 at 6 PM and run through Thursday via Zoom.   Though they are called borough hearings any parent, teacher or community member can attend any of them to speak out about what the DOE’s class size plan should include to make sure your school gets smaller classes or keeps them, if you have them now.  Though tonight’s is supposed to be for Manhattan, with Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn to follow (as Bronx was last week) , you can attend any of them to have  have your voice heard, no matter what borough you live in or where your child attends school.

Additional hearings will be held at CECs through the end of July.  By August 14. the DOE is supposed to have revised their class size plan to take into account public input, and send it to the state for their consideration, along with a summary of public comments. More info on these hearings and the city’s draft proposal is avilable here.

Last night we presented the following briefing,  with video above and power point below.  We we spoke about the changes to the class size law and pointed out flaws in the DOE’s draft proposed plan for the 2026-2027 school year, which despite assurances from Mayor Mamdani and Chancellor Samuels does not provide a roadmap for hundreds of NYC schools that enroll hundreds of thousands students to obtain smaller classes, next year or ever. We also discussed how many NYC schools that have smaller classes now that meet the mandated caps may see their compliance drop sharply next year.

Because of the lack of detail and specificity in the DOE’s  draft proposal, we believe it also does not align with the requirements of the class size law.  During the course of the presentation and our discussion afterward, we provided parents and teachers with possible talking points if they attend one of these briefings, and strategies they can adopt to advocate for smaller classes for their schools.

Additional C4e/class size hearings will be held at CECs through the end of July.  Written comments on the city’s draft proposal can also be submitted through July 29 via ContractsForExcellence@schools.nyc.gov.

The powerpoint presentation is here and embedded below.  A video of this briefing including our discussion afterwards is above; also  available here,  though unforunately  some of the slides were inadvertently partly blocked in the video.  Thanks!

“