June 2, 2019 1. On May 23, the Education Law Center appealed our lawsuit to the Appellate Court to require DOE to lower class size in all grades, in compliance with its obligations under the Contracts for Excellence law. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of nine NYC parents, Class Size Matters and AQE. We […]
May 21, 2019 1. Save the date! On Tuesday June 11 at noon at City Hall we will be rallying for smaller classes, urging the Mayor and the City Council to allocate funds in this year’s budget for class size reduction. Please come and bring your kids – they have the day off from school! […]
June 12, 2019 We had a very successful rally yesterday for class size reduction – thanks to all of you who came! There were 100+ parents, kids, advocates and union members who filled the steps of City Hall with signs, as well as Manhattan BP Gale Brewer and six Council Members. Many spoke about the […]
June 17, 2019 1. Just a quick note to remind you all that our annual “Skinny award” dinner honoring NY Attorney General Tish James and NYC Kids PAC is this Wed. June 19 at 6 PM. Please reserve your ticket now and enjoy a three-course meal, a glass of wine and great conversation and camaraderie. […]
July 31, 2019 I hope you are having a relaxing summer. Unfortunately, the last few weeks haven’t been much fun for Class Size Matters. We recently discovered that we lost over $7000, including the donations to our annual fundraiser in June, because NYCharities, our online processor, appears to have collapsed, as reported by Fox News. […]
A pdf you can download of this memo is here. Agostini v Elia—The New York City C4E Class Size Case In July 2017, nine parents from each borough of New York City filed a petition with the State Commissioner of Education (“Commissioner”) charging the City Department of Education (“DOE”) with failing to reduce […]
PDF of this testimony here. March 15, 2019 Thank you for holding these hearings today. My name is Leonie Haimson and I am the Executive Director of Class Size Matters, a citywide advocacy organization dedicated to providing information on the benefits of smaller classes. I am also the co-chair of the Parent Coalition for Student […]
Presentation given at the terrific education forum sponsored by Jackson Heights People for Public Schools on March 16, 2019.
This fact sheet as a pdf is also available here. Enrollment and retention of high-needs students Each year, charter schools and school districts shall report on their enrollment, suspension, and attrition rates of students overall as well as in the following high needs categories: students with disabilities, English language learners, and students who are eligible […]
Here’s a pdf you can download of this fact sheet. Why Mayoral control needs checks and balances March 16, 2019 Our democratic system of government is based upon checks and balances and divided authority, because the founders recognized that one-man rule was inherently unjust and could lead to abuses and corruption. Yet there are no […]
Please join us on Wed. June 18 when we will honor Dr. Betty Rosa, former Bronx principal, District Superintendent, Board of Regents member and now NY State Education Commissioner for courageously standing up against the Trump administration on the importance of preserving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs in our public schools. Wine and food will be served!
Sign up here for our Annual Parent Action Conference on June 7th 2025, with keynote speaker Jamaal Bowman!
Sign here to urge NYC to implement a real, multi-year strategy to lower class size, as the law intends, without exempting up to half or more of all students.
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.
