Urge the DOE to take positive steps to lower class size & comply with the law!

August 15, 2023

Dear all –

I hope you are having a delightful and restful summer. I wanted to bring to your attention that the DOE has posted an updated draft class size reduction plan that omits the only promise made in their previous plan – that they would help ensure that the schools that already had achieved smaller classes retain them for the coming year. Thus we expect that class sizes will likely increase once again this fall.

We have now posted a letter, signed onto by CSM, AQE, the Education Law Center and several parent leaders, urging the DOE to take a number of positive steps. These include a commitment not to shrink the K12 teaching force any further, to expand the capital plan so there is sufficient space for smaller classes, and to refrain from proposing any additional co-locations, school closures or other significant changes in utilization without a rigorous analysis to ensure that existing schools are able to lower class size to mandated levels.

If you’d like to sign onto our letter, please add your name and organization to this form no later than August 20, 2023.  You can also send your own comments to DOE at ContractsForExcellence@schools.nyc.gov by August 21, 2023. They are supposed to submit their final plan to the state for approval by August 31.

Thanks for your support, Leonie

Leonie Haimson
Executive Director
Class Size Matters
124 Waverly Pl.
New York, NY 10011
phone: 917-435-9329
leonie@classsizematters.org
www.classsizematters.org