Testimony on facilities before the New York City Council’s Commission on CFE
Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters
December 15, 2004
Thank you for this opportunity. My name is Leonie Haimson, and I’m speaking on behalf of Class Size Matters, a parent advocacy group with members from throughout the five boroughs, who are very concerned about the need to provide enough schools in their communities so that overcrowding can be relieved and their children can be provided with the benefits of smaller classes.
What are some of the serious impediments to providing sufficient classroom capacity to make this possible?
First of all, as parents repeatedly complain to me, there is a building boom going on in many neighborhoods in Queens, Staten Island and even the Bronx, which is rapidly outpacing the rate of new school construction. This boom is being driven and subsidized by existing policies, as new housing in the boroughs is provided with property tax exemptions, which only makes it even more difficult to fund the necessary infrastructure to provide the necessary services, including schools, to service the increased population.
There are also many large scale housing developments proposed by the city itself, with plans to generate 65,000 new homes, without any provision of where to put all the additional students that this will create. 1 The West side stadium plan alone is due to include 13,600 new housing units, in an area where the schools are already at maximum capacity. 2
Moreover, we know that providing sites and building schools in this city is both difficult and expensive, so that the challenge of merely providing enough seats to relieve overcrowding and reduce class size for the students already in the system will be challenging enough.
And although the Mayor likes to boast that his current $13.1 billion capital plan is the most ambitious ever undertaken, the plan relies on half of the funds, or $6.8 billion, to be provided by the state. In addition, the plan doesn’t provide the necessary facilities to reduce class size in all grades, or even relieve overcrowding until 2012, and then depends on unreliable trends in enrollment to do so.
So what are some practical proposals to overcome these substantial challenges, if we want to create enough capacity to eliminate overcrowding and create smaller classes in all grades?
1.
The special masters in the CFE case have proposed that the city should receive $9.2 billion over five years from the state for school facilities, rather than the $6.5 billion requested by the Mayor. The $9.2 billion figure was based upon their estimate of what it would cost, among other things, to provide enough new seats so that class sizes could be reduced in all grades, following the directive of the Court of Appeals that this will be required for our children to receive their constitutional rights to an adequate education. More specifically, the consultants hired by CFE said that this amount of funding would make it possible to eliminate overcrowding and reduce class size to 20 in grades K-5, to 23 in grades 6-8 and 24 in high school, as well as provide all the science labs, libraries, and computers necessary.The city should immediately expand and revise its capital plan in order to incorporate this level of state funding.
The special masters in the CFE case have proposed that the city should receive $9.2 billion over five years from the state for school facilities, rather than the $6.5 billion requested by the Mayor. The $9.2 billion figure was based upon their estimate of what it would cost, among other things, to provide enough new seats so that class sizes could be reduced in all grades, following the directive of the Court of Appeals that this will be required for our children to receive their constitutional rights to an adequate education. More specifically, the consultants hired by CFE said that this amount of funding would make it possible to eliminate overcrowding and reduce class size to 20 in grades K-5, to 23 in grades 6-8 and 24 in high school, as well as provide all the science labs, libraries, and computers necessary.The city should immediately expand and revise its capital plan in order to incorporate this level of state funding. 2.More leasing and acquiring modular buildings should be included in the city’s plan, in order to relieve the terrible overcrowding in high schools across the city as rapidly as possible, which is contributing to increased violence at so many schools. As an example of this, see today’s article in the New York Times about Walton High School in the Bronx. 3 According to the School Construction Authority, they are now able to lease and renovate existing office or commercial space for schools in less than six months. Given the political will and the capital, this can be done even quicker; for the Millenium High School in downtown Manhattan, leasing and renovating space in an office building was completed in two months over the summer of 2003. 4
More leasing and acquiring modular buildings should be included in the city’s plan, in order to relieve the terrible overcrowding in high schools across the city as rapidly as possible, which is contributing to increased violence at so many schools. As an example of this, see today’s article in the New York Times about Walton High School in the Bronx. 3 According to the School Construction Authority, they are now able to lease and renovate existing office or commercial space for schools in less than six months. Given the political will and the capital, this can be done even quicker; for the Millenium High School in downtown Manhattan, leasing and renovating space in an office building was completed in two months over the summer of 2003. 43.In the short run, the city should also supplement the capital plan with more of its own dollars. Even at its height, the Mayor’s intended investment in school construction will lag far behind what was spent during 2001, the last year of the Giuliani administration, when capital spending reached $2.2 billion per year, compared to $1.3 billion per year that the city currently plans to spend on school construction and repair. 5
In the short run, the city should also supplement the capital plan with more of its own dollars. Even at its height, the Mayor’s intended investment in school construction will lag far behind what was spent during 2001, the last year of the Giuliani administration, when capital spending reached $2.2 billion per year, compared to $1.3 billion per year that the city currently plans to spend on school construction and repair. 54.While Mayor Bloomberg campaigned on a promise to accelerate school construction instead of building stadiums, when he came into office, he promptly slashed the capital plan for schools by 60%, and now wants to spend billions of dollars on sports facilities, including the Jets stadium and other projects that will have little or no benefit to our children. Experts agree that the proposal to build a new stadium for the Jets and redevelop the far West side will cost $6.5 billion. The Olympics will cost billions more. By redirecting a portion of these funds, we could build enough schools to eliminate overcrowding and reduce class size significantly in every grade.
While Mayor Bloomberg campaigned on a promise to accelerate school construction instead of building stadiums, when he came into office, he promptly slashed the capital plan for schools by 60%, and now wants to spend billions of dollars on sports facilities, including the Jets stadium and other projects that will have little or no benefit to our children. Experts agree that the proposal to build a new stadium for the Jets and redevelop the far West side will cost $6.5 billion. The Olympics will cost billions more. By redirecting a portion of these funds, we could build enough schools to eliminate overcrowding and reduce class size significantly in every grade. 5.Much of what the city itself will spend on capital construction is also reimbursable from the state. Moreover, according to Charles Szuberla of the State Education Department, the smaller the proposed class size in a school project, the more dollars in reimbursement the state will provide.
Much of what the city itself will spend on capital construction is also reimbursable from the state. Moreover, according to Charles Szuberla of the State Education Department, the smaller the proposed class size in a school project, the more dollars in reimbursement the state will provide.6.One of the proposals the Mayor made when he ran for office was to locate new high schools on Governor’s island. This proposal should be revived and re-examined. Indeed, there is already a school building, lying vacant and unused on Governor’s Island as we speak.
One of the proposals the Mayor made when he ran for office was to locate new high schools on Governor’s island. This proposal should be revived and re-examined. Indeed, there is already a school building, lying vacant and unused on Governor’s Island as we speak.7.Each Community Board and Community Education Council should be asked to set up a joint committee, to help find appropriate locations for elementary, middle and high schools in their neighborhoods. This would facilitate the process of finding sites for new schools considerably.
Each Community Board and Community Education Council should be asked to set up a joint committee, to help find appropriate locations for elementary, middle and high schools in their neighborhoods. This would facilitate the process of finding sites for new schools considerably.8.The city has a once-in a lifetime opportunity to acquire as many as 147 existing school buildings in Brooklyn and Queens, which the Brooklyn parish will relinquish over the next year or so.6 The Department of Education could acquire these buildings at a bargain rate, in a package deal. Officials from the School Construction Authority have confirmed that they have been speaking to the Brooklyn Diocese about acquiring some of these buildings, though as yet they have not yet made any agreement to do so. They should be encouraged to acquire as many of these buildings, as quickly as possible.
The city has a once-in a lifetime opportunity to acquire as many as 147 existing school buildings in Brooklyn and Queens, which the Brooklyn parish will relinquish over the next year or so.6 The Department of Education could acquire these buildings at a bargain rate, in a package deal. Officials from the School Construction Authority have confirmed that they have been speaking to the Brooklyn Diocese about acquiring some of these buildings, though as yet they have not yet made any agreement to do so. They should be encouraged to acquire as many of these buildings, as quickly as possible. 9.All property tax exemptions should be eliminated for new housing. Instead, especially for large-scale projects, developers should have to provide space for a new school in their buildings, or instead contribute “impact fees” to a mitigation fund that would go directly to school construction. As a concerned parent who is a city planner has suggested, “The fund should receive contributions from developers who build as-of-right as well as those whose projects must go through the S/CEQR or ULURP processes.” These sorts of requirements are common elsewhere across the country, and should be implemented here in New York City as well.
All property tax exemptions should be eliminated for new housing. Instead, especially for large-scale projects, developers should have to provide space for a new school in their buildings, or instead contribute “impact fees” to a mitigation fund that would go directly to school construction. As a concerned parent who is a city planner has suggested, “The fund should receive contributions from developers who build as-of-right as well as those whose projects must go through the S/CEQR or ULURP processes.” These sorts of requirements are common elsewhere across the country, and should be implemented here in New York City as well.In short, given the large sums of money the city is likely to receive for school facilities as a result of the CFE case, there is nothing but political will and a little ingenuity that stands in the way of our building enough schools and acquiring enough capacity to make overcrowded schools and classrooms a thing of the past. If our children are not provided with sufficient schools so that they can have the benefit of smaller classes in all grades, it will now be our local elected officials who will be responsible for depriving our children of their constitutional rights to a sound basic education.
Thank you for this opportunity.
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1 See “The Mayor’s New Housing Plan,” Gotham Gazette, 16 Dec 2002; http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/housing/20021216/10/15
2 See “Vote puts W. Side in the zone,” Daily News, November 23, 2004,
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/255552p-218829c.html
3 “More Police, But Halls Still Jammed at Unruly School,” NY Times, December 15, 2004; http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/15/nyregion/15walton.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position=
4 See “Millennium school opens Downtown,” Downtown Express, Volume 16 , Issue 15 | September 9 - 15, 2003; http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_20/millenniumschool.html
5 See “ Problems with the Mayor’s 5 year capital plan for schools, 2005-2009,” http://www.classsizematters.org/Capitalplan.html
6 See “MORE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS AT RI$K,” NY Post, December 7, 2004; http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/35903.htm
