Leonie Haimson testified before the Report & Advisory Board Review Commission on May 11, 2012 about the need to continue the twice a year class size and annual Temporary Classroom Units (TCUs) reporting. The testimony is downloadable here and below. [scribd id=99847950 key=key-u0g278x1gneiseslv6g mode=list]
The following testimony on the possible impact of mandatory Kindergarten and the Special Education Initiative from Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters, was presented before the City Council Education Committee on June 12, 2012. Ms. Haimson first notes the surging class sizes which would erupt from the Department of Education’s Special Education Initiative […]
Speaker Quinn’s push for mandatory Kindergarten in NYC, now being considered in the NYS Legislature, is likely to send thousands of new children into a schools system that is already struggling with Kindergarten waiting lists, overcrowding, and increasing class sizes. Our analysis here and below suggests what the impact may be, and proposes that the […]
Here and below is our testimony before the New York State Assembly on the city’s plan to close and “turnaround” struggling schools, given April 11, 2012. Summary: these strategies will not work, do not address the critical issues, including class size, and will further destabilize and undermine the education of our neediest students. [scribd […]
Our testimony is posted here and below. Summary: Thousands of seats are missing from this capital plan to be able to alleviate overcrowding, eliminate trailers, and reduce class size — all of which the Mayor promised to do in earlier years but has utterly failed to achieve. [scribd id=87885160 key=key-xjgoacyigo7vzzzt60v mode=list]
Yesterday the NYC Council Education committee held preliminary hearings on the mayor’s proposed education operating budget. Here is a good report from NY1, here is the analysis of the budget by Council staff; here is my testimony [also shown below]. The proposed operating budget for next year, despite an overall increase in spending, would cut […]
Jan. 9, 2012 Class Size Matters has released a detailed analysis of the trend in student achievement in NYC since 2003, when Mayor Bloomberg’s educational policies were first implemented, as measured by the NAEPs – the national assessment carried out every two years by the federal government in 4th and 8th grade English and math. […]
The DOE received over 100 public comments as well as many resolutions from Community Education Councils, protesting the city’s inadequate Contracts for Excellence and class size reduction “plan”. Resolutions were approved by CEC District 1 CEC District 3 CEC District 5 CEC District 20 CEC District 21 CEC District 22 CEC District 30 CEC District […]
Class Size Matters presentations showing increases in class size and other violations in DOE’s Contract for Excellence plans citywide and by district On Nov. 15, the city released this year’s class size data by school, district and borough (click here). Sure enough as we had feared, class sizes increased for the fourth year in a […]
This testimony is also available as a pdf here; for more on these hearings see our NYC Public School Parent Blog here. Testimony of Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters Before the NYC Council Technology and Contracts Committees On the NYC Department of Education’s wasteful and corrupt technology contracts October 31, […]
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.
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 .
