Below is the presentation I gave at the Real Deal on School Budgets forum, sponsored by Senator Robert Jackson on Oct. 25, 2022, with a special focus class size, school overcrowding and cuts to School district 6. If you’d like a similar briefing for your CEC or community group, with a focus on your schools, […]
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 […]
Oct. 6, 2022 We need to hear NYC from teachers, parents, students, principals and other school staff as to what the impact of the budget cuts has been on your school this year, in terms of class size and other critical services and programs. Last year, because school funding was sufficient despite the enrollment decline, […]
2020 Newsletters December 28, 2020 Please give so we can continue our work for smaller classes & student privacy in 2021 December 13, 2020 News update on Mayoral control, school planning for next year, and please give! November 12, 2020 Deadlines for in-person schooling, class size reporting, and questions about DOE’s protection of student data […]
August 24, 2022 On Monday, the Education Committee held hearings on the Council resolution, demanding the Mayor restore $469 million in Fair Student Funding cuts to schools. Our testimony is here, which includes an updated analysis showing that DOE cuts to school Galaxy budgets as of August 21, 2022 totaled nearly $1.3 billion dollars. Last […]
Sept. 9, 2022 1. Tremendous news yesterday as Gov. Hochul announced that she was signing the class size bill. The only change from the original bill is that this year will be a planning year, and the gradual phase-in of smaller classes will begin the fall of 2023, to achieve caps over five years of […]
Sept. 28, 2022 The Appellate Court hearings on the lawsuit to restore the budget cuts to schools are scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 29. Only the attorneys are allowed in the courtroom but observers will be able to watch the proceedings via the live stream or on YouTube, starting at about 2 PM for all […]
See our Myths vs. Facts sheet for more info. An updated FAQ from Sept. 2024 is here. Jan.15, 2024 FAQ on the NY Class Size Law On June 2, 2022, the NY State Legislature passed a bill to by a vote of 59-4 in the Senate and 147-2 in the Assembly that required NYC schools […]
Former principal Shane Safir has a piece in Education Week arguing against the over reliance on standardized test scores to judge schools. Instead she argues that “We need to shift our focus from so-called “achievement gaps” to opportunity gaps by collecting qualitative information that is close to the learner.” In 2017, when NY State was […]
For immediate release: September 9, 2022 Contacts: Leonie Haimson: 917-435-9329; [email protected] Julia Watson: 978.518.0729; [email protected] Randi Garay and Shirley Aubin: [email protected] Yesterday, Governor Hochul signed the class size bill passed overwhelmingly last June by the Legislature that would require NYC to phase in smaller classes over five years. The only change from the original bill […]
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 .
