You’re invited to our annual Parent Action Conference: Mayoral control, where do we go from here?

May 1, 2024

Dear all:

1.     On Saturday May 11 at 10:30 AM, Class Size Matters will be holding our annual Parent Action Conference, co-sponsored by NYC Kids PAC. Our keynote speakers, Sen. John Liu and CUNY Law professor Natalie Gomez-Velez, the co-author of the NYSED study of Mayoral control, will discuss why this fundamentally flawed system was renewed in the state budget and whether there is still a way forward to reform the system. We will also offer parent workshops on loads of important topics, from how to deal with ACS, problems with the mandated literacy curriculum, whether the city is prepared to comply with the class size law,how to protect the rights of your special needs child, and more. Here is a flyer and a full list of workshops; please register here.

2.     Even sooner, on Monday May 6 at 8 PM EST, we will offer a special privacy briefing on how you can help protect your child’s personal data from being sold by the College Board and ACT. It is illegal in more than 20 states for school vendors to sell student data, yet both College Board & ACT continue to engage in this sleazy practice. You will learn whether your state prohibits the sale of student data by these corporations and what to do if it does, and how you can help prevent this even if you live in another state. Register online here. Co-sponsored by Parent Coalition for Student Privacy, Illinois Families for Public Schools, and Class Size Matters.

3.     Contrary to the provisions in the NY state budget to try to force Mayor Adams to fund class size reduction, his Executive budget released last week would still cut spending for teachers by about $100 million, through a combined hiring freeze and vacancy reductions. As a result, the city’s financial plan projects a shrinkage of the teaching force by nearly 3,000 over the next two years. The city’s proposed school capital plan is still slashed by $2 billion. There is no way the DOE can comply with the class size law given such huge cuts to teachers and space. In fact, class sizes are likely to continue to increase under this proposed budget. More soon on steps you can take to ensure these cuts do not stand.

Hope to see you May 6 and May 11!