Class Size Working Group members urge NYC to implement their recommendations without delay

For immediate release: December 11, 2023
Contact: Leonie Haimson, 917-435-9329; leonie@classsizematters.org

 

Class Size Working Group members urge the Chancellor of NYC schools to implement their recommendations without delay

Here are quotations from the Class Size Working Group co-chair and some of the parent leaders, advocates, and working teachers and other school staff who were members of the group, and whose report with recommendations on how the city should implement the new class size law was released today:

Johanna Garcia, co-chair of the Working Group and Chief of Staff for Senator Robert Jackson: “”As Co-chair of the Class Size Working Group, I recognize the importance of staying focused on our mission: providing recommendations to improve the educational experience already in place. In the largest and most segregated public education system in the country, with an influx of migrant students at our school doors every day, and amidst a new pandemic of mental health challenges among our youth, our duty is clear. No child should ever slip through the cracks, and it is our unequivocal responsibility to deliver the best educational environment for every child’s success. Resigning ourselves to the belief that reducing class sizes is an insurmountable challenge is defeatist and serves no one, especially not our students. Delaying full funding for our schools, even after the Campaign for Fiscal Equity law was passed, resulted in generations of students going through a system that failed to meet their needs. We cannot afford to repeat the same mistake when it comes to implementing the class size law. Together, we must commit to doing the hard but essential work required to reduce class sizes. Our students deserve nothing less, and our city’s future depends on it. Let us rise to the occasion, just as we have in the past, and ensure that every child receives the quality education they deserve.”

Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters, “Given these actionable proposals – many of them cost-free – the Chancellor no longer has any excuse for delay.  He needs to start putting in place changes to budgeting, enrollment planning, and the capital plan, or else it will be extremely unlikely that the schools will be able to comply with the class size law starting next year, that requires that 40% of classes meet the new class size caps, no less in the out years. This was pointed out in the recent letter we sent to the State Education Department along with the Alliance for Quality Education, urging them to require the DOE to create a corrective action plan.  Instead, given the Mayor’s proposed cuts to school budgets and the capital plan, class sizes would likely increase to even higher levels next year.  If the DOE really cares about following the law and the goal of providing all NYC students with a  better opportunity to learn, the time for action is now.”

Dr. Kaliris Salas-Ramirez, medical educator and neuroscientist: “When starting this work we had a very clear mandate after years of advocacy and research to provide recommendations to support the implementation of the law for smaller class sizes. It is unfortunate that we still have people that are only interested in pursuing solutions that excludes some of our most vulnerable students from getting access to a quality education. We hope the Chancellor receives these recommendations with an open mind and silences the naysayers because he understands this is what children and teachers need for an optimal learning environment.”

Ayishah G. Irvin, President of the President’s Council in District 5 in Central Harlem and a member of CEC D5: “Quality education starts with manageable class sizes. Let’s give our students the attention they deserve. This report will help the city to achieve this goal.  “

Pat Sprinkle, Manhattan classroom teacher and UFT Chapter Leader: “The Class Size Working Group Report represents the power of collaboration and reflects  the substantive debate and hard work of a vast range of interests. With this report in hand, I know New York City Public Schools will have a roadmap to meet the class size law.”

Johanna Bjorken, parent and school business manager: “Parents did not march to Albany for tweaks to a broken system.  Centering smaller class sizes in its policies requires boldness of vision. This report gives the NYC public schools guidelines for ensuring that it delivers what every parent wants and deserves:  a teacher who knows their child well, in an environment where they are engaged and challenged.”

Marina Marcou-O’Malley, interim Co-Executive Director of the Alliance for Quality Education: “The class size working group report is a reflection of a great amount of work and deep thought given to the question it was charged with: giving recommendations to New York City to implement the law. We are confident that these recommendations will move the city along in meeting the class size law’s requirements. We at AQE believe deeply in educational equity and have fought decades to achieve it. Addressing the overcrowding of classrooms is a key component of achieving a high quality education for students, especially in New York City. We are going to remain committed to seeing that New York City follows through on these recommendations, just as we are committed to seeing that the State remains committed to equitably funding public schools.”

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