Class size hearings tonight thru Thursday; please speak out if you want smaller classes for your kids

 

The state-mandated class size hearings are being held tonight Monday June 29 at 6 PM and run through Thursday via Zoom. Any parent, teacher or community member can attend one of these meetings to speak out about what the DOE's class size plan should include to make sure your school is able to be provided with smaller classes or can keep them, if you have them now. Though tonight's hearing is supposed to be for Manhattan, with Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn to follow (as Bronx was last week) , you can attend any of them to have your voice heard, no matter what borough you live in or where your child attends school.

Additional hearings will be held at CECs through the end of July. By August 14. the DOE is supposed to have revised their class size plan to take into account public input, and have sent it to the state for their consideration, along with a summary of public comments.

Last night we presented a briefing that is posted here.  We  spoke about the changes to the class size law and pointed out flaws in the DOE's draft proposed plan for the 2026-2027 school year, which despite assurances from Mayor Mamdani and Chancellor Samuels does not provide any actual roadmap for hundreds of NYC schools that enroll hundreds of thousands students to obtain smaller classes, next year or ever. We also discussed how many NYC schools that already have smaller classes that meet the mandated caps may see their compliance levels drop sharply next year.

Because of the lack of detail and specificity in the DOE's draft proposal, we believe it  does not align with the requirements of the class size law. During the course of the presentation and our discussion afterward, we provided parents and teachers with possible talking points if they do attend one of these briefings, and strategies they can adopt to advocate for smaller classes for their schools.

Additional C4e/class size hearings will be held at CECs through the end of July. Written comments on the city's draft proposal can also be submitted now through July 29 via ContractsForExcellence@schools.nyc.gov. if you do send in comments, please copy us at info@classsizematters.org as well as the other public officials mentioned in our presentation.

Here is a copy of the powerpoint presentation as well as the video of the briefing, including our discussion afterwards, though inadvertently some of the slides were  partly blocked in the video. But please attend one of these hearings this week, and speak out if you can. Thanks!