20 years of mayoral control: a failed reform
Here and below.
Testimonies & Comments
Testimony on the huge unnecessary cuts to the FY 25 education budget & 5-year capital plan
March 18, 2024 Today, the City Council is holding hearings on the education budget; public testimony begins at about 2:30 PM. You can sign up to speak in person or remotely here, to protest the looming budget cuts, the rising class sizes, and the fact that the DOE has slashed billions from the capital plan, […]
Our testimony at yesterday’s Council hearing on class size, where the DOE refused to commit to any action to lower class size, now or in the future
March 1, 2024 The DOE performance at the class size hearing yesterday at the City Council was very depressing. Despite urging by Council Education Chair Rita Joseph and other Council Members, Senators Liu and Robert Jackson, UFT leaders, and many parents, DOE officials refused to commit to any steps to lower class size. Instead, COO […]
DOE is moving backwards not forwards on class size; our testimony to the Legislature
Feb. 7, 2024 Here and below is our Feb. 1 testimony to the State legislature on the budget, and how DOE is doing nothing to comply with the new class size law. In fact, as we point out below, class sizes have increased in most schools over the last two years, a trend that is […]
Our 20 year experiment with Mayoral control: comments to the State and to NYC Bar Association
Feb. 6, 2024 Below is the presentation I gave last night to the Education Committee of the NYC Bar Association, on the history and the myths surrounding Mayoral control. Below that is my longer testimony on Mayoral control to the State Education Department, that goes into more depth on these issues. NYSED is supposed to […]
The myths surrounding Mayoral control, and what we need instead
Jan. 30, 2024 The deadline to submit your views on Mayoral control is tomorrow, Wed. January 31, at 5 PM. You can upload your testimony here. The borough hearings were very well attended, with the overwhelming number of parents, teachers and community members who spoke vehemently opposed to the continuation of mayoral control. You can […]
Resolution for CECs & community groups on DOE need to lower class size in compliance with law [2023-2024]
Below is a draft resolution for CECs and other community and advocacy organizations to consider passing, urging the DOE to adopt the recommendations in the report of the Class Size Working Group and begin to lower class size in compliance with the class size law. So far, resolutions urging the DOE to implement plans to […]
Our testimony on the Mayor’s egregious proposed budget cuts to education
December 11, 2023 Our testimony at today’s NYC Council Finance hearings about how the Mayor’s proposed cuts to education would prevent the DOE from complying with the class size law and likely cause even sharper class size increases than students experienced over the last two years. Also available here.
Comments to NYSED on how their proposed regs on the class size law omit the public process timeline in the law
Update Jan. 5, 2024: As we requested, the mandated timeline was put into the final regulations. November 8, 2023 Below and here see comments from Class Size Matters, Alliance for Quality Education, and the Education Law Center on the proposed State regulations concerning the public process required for the development and submission of the new […]
CSM, Ed Law Center & AQE critique of DOE’s revised draft class size plan
Oct. 16, 2023 Below and here is the letter sent today to Commissioner Rosa and the Board of Regents from Class Size Matters, the Education Law Center and AQE, critiquing the DOE revised class size plan submitted to the State on Sept. 29 and asking the Commissioner and the Board of Regents to require a […]
Donate to Class Size Matters!
Sign our petition on class size!
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.
Take our 5-minute class size survey!
Talk out of School: WBAI Sunday at 7 PM EST or as a podcast
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.
Skinny award dinner honoring Rep. Jamaal Bowman!
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 .
