Press Releases

Council hearings on class size so overcrowded that scores of parents and advocates are turned away

For immediate release Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 Contact: Leonie Haimson; leoniehaimson@gmail.com; 917-435-9329. Council hearings on class size so overcrowded that scores of parents and advocates are  turned away Today, from 10 AM to 3:45 PM, the City Council Education Committee held hearings on class size at City Hall.  So many people showed up to testify that it was […]

March 3, 2020 in Press Releases, Updates by

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Letter to Interim Commissioner Tahoe on Testing on Earth Day

Below is the letter sent out on February 13, 2020 to NYSED about Earth Day and the state middle school math test. Class Size Matters, Senator Jackson’s office, Teachers for the Future, and various other organizations and officials signed off on this letter to reschedule the math exams and support student climate strikes, as well […]

February 13, 2020 in Updates, Volunteer to help Class Size Matters by

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3 easy ways to help get smaller classes for NYC kids!

Feb. 11, 2020 Please help us urge the Speaker and NYC Council to invest $100 million in hiring additional teachers to lower class size, starting first in the early grades and in struggling schools. This would pay for the salaries of about 1,000 new teachers, which could reduce class size in as many as 4,000 […]

February 13, 2020 in Newsletters, Updates by

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Memo on how DOE is violating two laws meant to ease school overcrowding

Update: 10/26/2023:  The SCA has posted a spreadsheet that shows how many seats were lost in the 2021-2022 school year that includes the seats lost in 2019-2020, but has added no other information required by law.  The spreadsheet lists “0” for the number of seats lost in a D75 school on Staten Island, at 669 […]

February 12, 2020 in Reports & Memos, Uncategorized, Updates by

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FAQ for parents and teachers on Regents “exit exams” and why they should be eliminated

The Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department are re-examining the use of Regents “exit exams” as a requirement for high school graduation, and are holding a series of regional public sessions to gather input from parents, teachers and other stakeholders before making any changes to the current policy. These meetings will […]

February 5, 2020 in Reports & Memos, Uncategorized, Updates by

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Fund Class Size Reduction Now!

You can download a PDF version here. What are we proposing? Class Size Matters is urging that the Mayor and NYC Council allocate $100 million to be allocated towards hiring teachers to lower class size, starting first in the early grades and in struggling schools. That amount could pay for the salaries of about 1,000 new […]

January 16, 2020 in Reports & Memos, Updates by

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News about arguments in our class size lawsuit & tomorrow’s radio show

Jan. 14, 2020 1.Yesterday, the class size lawsuit against the city and the state that we filed more than a year ago, along with nine NYC parents from every borough and the Alliance for Quality Education, was heard in the Appellate court in Albany. Our pro bono attorney, Wendy Lecker of the Education Law Center, […]

January 15, 2020 in Newsletters, Updates by

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Breaking: Our class size lawsuit will be heard Jan. 13 & last chance in 2019 to support our efforts

Dec. 31, 2019   Dear Friend: I wanted to let you know that we just heard yesterday that the appeal of our  class size lawsuit vs the DOE Chancellor and State Education Commissioner, Agostini vs. Elia, will be heard on Monday, January 13 at 1 PM in the Appellate Court in Albany. We filed the […]

December 31, 2019 in Newsletters, Uncategorized, Updates by

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Presentations on Class Size and School Overcrowding 2019-2020 School Year

Here are power point presentations explaining why class size is important, and with data showing citywide and district-specific class size trends since 2006. Class size in NYC schools including citywide long term trends and what should be done Here are  class size trends for every community school district over time, organized by borough and by […]

December 20, 2019 in Presentations, Updates by

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Testimony on mayoral control

The NY Assembly Education chair Michael Benedetto and other members of the Education committee held hearings today on Mayoral control which the Legislature renewed with minor changes last spring until June 2022. More on these hearings on the NYC public school parent blog here. My testimony is below; but in response to questions I also […]

December 16, 2019 in Testimonies & Comments, Uncategorized, Updates by

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