2004 IBO Class Size Analysis

After writing the NYC Independent Budget Office(IBO), asking them to analyze the 2003-2004 Department of Education (DOE) class registers for discrepancies in reporting, in 2004, Leonie Haimson received the following response. In their analysis, the IBO found, class sizes had increased in Kindergarten for the first time in several years. Furthermore, they reported class size reduction in the other grades had largely stalled.

This lack of progress occurred despite $88 million in annual state class size reduction funds given to the DOE since 1999, and continued enrollment decline. And these findings directly contrasted the DOEs own reporting.

The discrepancy between the city’s official figures and those of the IBO is because the DOE included non-existing or “phantom” Kindergarten classes with 2 or 3 students in their calculations.

Downloadable version here: IBO letter 2004

 

 

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