Please join CPAC & many CECs in urging that a Class Size Task Force be created; there is no time to waste.

On June 2, 2022 the Legislature overwhelming passed the class size bill,  S9460/ A10498,  by a vote of 59-4 in the Senate and 147-2 in the Assembly.  The bill required that NYC implement a five-year class size reduction plan beginning in the fall of 2022.  On Sept. 8, 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the bill into law,  based upon an agreement with Legislators that the five-year phase-in period will begin Sept. 2023 instead. The Legislature will have to vote to approve the amended version of the bill when they reconvene in January, however the planning for this critical initiative should begin now.

Though the law merely says that the plan should be developed by DOE in collaboration with the UFT and the CSA, we are urging all three leaders to create a task force that includes parents, students, advocates and others to help develop the class size plan and ensure that it is properly implemented.  These stakeholder voices must be included to ensure the plan  is equitable, efficient and achievable.  There is no time to waste.

We have a letter to the DOE, UFT and CSA posted here and below, signed by CSM, CPAC, AQE , Senator Robert Jackson, and other parent leaders.  If you’re a CEC or other parent leader and willing to join this effort by signing on, please enter your information in the form here.

Also please consider passing a resolution similar to the one that CPAC passed on Oct 13, calling for this Task Force. CEC3,  CEC 4,  CEC 15, CEC 21 , CEC 24 and CEC 26 have passed similar resolutions,  as has Community Board 6 in Queens, with more to come.

Here is a sample resolution in Word.  If you do pass the resolution and/or would like a briefing for your group, please let us know by emailing  info@classsizematters.org

Oct. 2022

Dear Chancellor Banks, President Mulgrew and President Cannizzaro:

We urge you to establish a task force that will develop a plan to implement the new class size reduction law, so that smaller classes can be achieved in the most practical, equitable and effective way possible.

We believe that it is critical that parents, advocates, students, community members and elected officials must be included to work with you in the most transparent and accountable manner in order to guarantee that there will be sufficient space, funding, and staffing to achieve the goals in the law within the time frame mandated by the law.   There is no time to waste.

NYC students deserve no less.

We look forward to your prompt response,

Leonie Haimson, Executive Director, Class Size Matters

Shirley Aubin and Randi Garay, co-chairs, Chancellor’s Parent Advisory Council

Michael Mulgrew, President, United Federation of Teachers

Congressmember Jamaal Bowman

State Senator Robert Jackson

Assemblymember Harvey Epstein

Council Education Chair Rita Joseph

Council Member Shahana Hanif

Council Member Sandy Nurse

Council Member Alexa Aviles

Council Member Tiffany Cabán

Council Member Shekar Krishnan

Council Member Jennifer Guttierez

David G. Sciarra, Executive Director, Education Law Center

Jasmine Gripper, Executive Director,  Alliance for Quality Education

Shino Tanikawa and NeQuan McLean, co-chairs, Education Council Consortium

Naomi Peña, President, NYC Kids PAC

Nyah Berg, Executive Director, Appleseed

Kaliris Salas Ramirez, Manhattan Representative on the Panel for Educational Policy

Theresa Roberts, President, Community Education Council District 11

Sharon Rowell,  President, Community Education Council D12

Tajh Sutton, President, Community Education Council D14

Andrea Daniels, President, D75 Presidents Council D75

Rosa G Diaz, President,  Community Education Council D4

Stephen Stowe, President, Community Education Council D20

Matt Crescio, President, Community Education Council D24

Karen Wang, President, Citywide Council on High Schools

Al Suhu, President, Community Education Council D26

Anna Lembersky, President, Community Education Council D21

Amanda Vender, Steering Committee, Movement of Rank and File Educators (MORE-UFT)

Kim West, Vice President, Community Education Council D29

Jay Brown, 2nd Vice-President, Community Education Council, CEC D21

Wanda Jackson, Recording Secretary, Community Education Council D9

Rose Marie Gulston, Recording Secretary/ BP Appointee, Community Education Council D27

Lupe Hernandez, BP Appointee, Community Education Council D2

Amy Fair, Recording Secretary and Bronx BP Appointee, Community Education Council D11

Deborah Kross, Recording Secretary, Citywide Council on High schools

Eduardo Hernandez, Secretary, Education Council Consortium

Sahar Mohamed Osman, Vice President, Community Education District 11

Terrance L. Johnson, Treasurer, Community Education Council D16

Luis Camilo, President, D6 Presidents’ Council and member, Community Education Council D6

Jess Baker, member, Community Education Council D4

Dennis Chan, Treasurer, Community Education Council D26

Kin Mark, 2nd Vice President and Brooklyn Representative, Citywide Council on High Schools

Naveed Hasan, Treasurer and Multilingual Committee Chair, Community Education Council 3

Jennifer Goddard, member, Community Education Council D21

Melissa Rosado, member, Community Education Council D12

Rosalie Friend, Uniting to Save our Schools

Kemala Karmen, Advisory Committee, NYC Opt out

Reyhan Mehran, Steering Committee, District 15 Parents for Middle School Equity

Teresa Arboleda, Former Chair, Citywide Council on English Language Learners

Rebecca Garte, Professor, CUNY

Jacqueline Shannon, parent, and Chair of Early Childhood, Brooklyn College

Stuart Chen-Hayes, Professor and Program Coordinator, Counselor Education, CUNY

Marissa Manzanares, Creative Arts Therapy NY

Milagros Martinez, PS 225 PTA President

Tanya Pollard, parent and professor

Emily Paige, principal, The Urban Assembly Unison School

Leslie Woodruff, Founder, Hell’s Kitchen Families