Class Size Matters and NYC Kids PAC stand in solidarity with protesters in New York City and around the country to demand justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Sean Reed, Tony McDade, Eric Garner and all other Black victims who have tragically died at the hands of the police. We know the role […]
The following is my written testimony on the education budget and five-year capital plan, detailing the additional staffing and space that will be needed for schools to reopen safely next year. Smaller class sizes are always of concern, but are especially critical now given the need for social distancing in light of the COVID-19 crisis. […]
On Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, parents, students, educators and advocates testified on the importance of reducing class size at City Hall hearings of the NYC Education Committee, chaired by Council Member Mark Treyger. Below are links to written statements of some of these testimonies. Video testimony can be found here. Regent Kathy Cashin testifies how when she was […]
The need to reduce class size next fall to improve health and safety and strengthen academic and emotional support and how this could be achieved through budget savings Download the PDF version here. Shorter version in the Gotham Gazette, “To Reopen Schools, The Mayor Needs Smaller Classes — Here’s $570 Million in Potential Department of […]
Dear Friends– 1. I had a piece in the Gotham Gazette yesterday that explains how schools should not reopen next fall without a plan to reduce class size, to provide both the social distancing necessary for health and safety and the academic and emotional support that students will need to make up for the […]
Dear Friends — A quick note to update you on a few issues: 1- In my previous email, I had the wrong date for this week’s meeting of the Panel for Educational Policy when a bunch of highly questionable, potentially wasteful contracts will be voted upon – it is Thursday May 7 at 6 PM. DOE’s […]
Dear Friends, 1. On Wed., the Panel for Educational Policy was scheduled to meet and vote on several huge contracts, including school busing for $200 million for March and another $200 million for April, though all buses have been idle since mid-March. The DOE had told Panel members they were legally obligated to pay 85% of […]
April 28, 2020 Yesterday there was an emergency press conference to protest the DOE’s $827 million proposed cuts to education and to urge that they cut contracts and unnecessary spending on bureaucracy instead. A video of this press conference featuring parent leaders, teachers, advocates, and elected officials, is posted on our blog, along with a press release and […]
Dear Friends, 1. A week ago, I looked at the DOE contracts that the Panel for Educational Policy were being asked to vote on at their monthly meeting, scheduled for tonight. The list included hundreds of millions of dollars in spending, including $200 million to pay for busing services in March, with an automatic extension of another […]
Dear Friends, 1.First, some good news to report! The Board of Regents announced yesterday that the Regents exams due to take place this spring are cancelled. Today they put out guidance that any student who would have needed to pass any Regents exams to graduate in June can be issued a diploma without taking them. More details in […]
You’re invited! Class Size Matters will hold our annual Skinny Awards on Wednesday, June 12th. You can sign up for the event here.
Talk out of School radio show and podcast airs Sunday night at 7 PM on WBAI 99.5 FM or online at www.wbai.org when Leonie Haimson and Daniel Alicea interview guests and discuss issues affecting public schools in NYC, the state level and nationally. You can stream or subscribe to the podcast here; or at iTunes, Spotify or Google.
We held our annual Skinny award dinner Wed. June 28, 2023, honoring Rep. Jamaal Bowman, former Bronx principal and now a progressive trailblazer who is fighting in Congress to protect and improve our public schools. More photos on Facebook .
