New York City is confronting a formidable task as it endeavors to comply with recently enacted state laws regulating class sizes. Education officials have sounded a warning, citing the need for significant financial investments and creative spatial solutions to adhere to the new mandates set over the next few years.
During a City Council hearing on the matter, Emma Vadehra, the Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Education, emphasized the inevitability of “difficult choices” to ensure compliance as the law’s requirements escalate.
While education officials proposed multiple strategies to reduce class sizes in line with the new law, some councilmembers, including Rita Joseph, chair of the Council’s education committee, questioned the preparedness of Mayor Eric Adams’ administration to meet the state’s mandates. Joseph criticized what she perceived as inaccuracies in city officials’ progress reports and expressed concern over the delayed implementation of recommendations from a working group tasked with guiding the new law.
Challenges and Strategies in Meeting New York City’s Class Size Reduction Goals
Two years after the law’s passage, requiring incremental reductions in class sizes by 2028, approximately 40% of the city’s classrooms meet the mandated caps. However, fulfilling the requirements through 2028 demands thousands more teachers and nearly $2 billion in additional funding, according to estimates from the city’s Independent Budget Office.
Districts 16 and 23 in Brooklyn and District 7 in the Bronx currently have the highest number of classes complying with the newly mandated caps, while Districts 26 and 28 in Queens and District 31 in Staten Island have the fewest.
With New York City Public Schools employing nearly 77,000 teachers, the city is contemplating streamlined hiring processes, including expanding alternate certification programs, early hiring windows, and financial incentives for recruiting and retaining teachers. The possibility of prioritizing teacher hiring over other vacant school positions is also under consideration.
Efforts to downsize classes involve creating more classrooms, utilizing administrative offices, and potentially relocating pre-K and kindergarten classes to local community organizations. Some schools may adopt “multi-session models” and staggered schedules.
Funding Uncertainty Shadows Education Advocacy Efforts in Albany
While Vadehra acknowledged the need for additional funding, she highlighted the absence of allocated funds in the current budget and the lack of an identified funding source. Education officials recently lobbied in Albany for increased funding to meet the new mandates.
During the hearing, city officials expressed support for a proposed bill sponsored by Councilmember Rita Joseph. The bill would mandate the Department of Education to report actual class sizes and provide more comprehensive data on students enrolled in special programs.
Despite these efforts, concerns linger regarding the management of class size reductions under the Adams administration. Joseph, a former school teacher with two decades of experience, criticized decision-makers for their lack of firsthand teaching experience in New York City Public Schools.
The city is expected to submit its next plan for downsizing classrooms to the state education department this summer, marking a crucial step in addressing the ongoing challenges associated with meeting the new class size mandates.
