Parent Action Conference Nov. 7; Please Sign Up Today! Updates on Arne Duncan, school overcrowding, and class size violations in Kindergarten

October 6, 2015

Dear Friend,

1. Save the date! On Saturday, November 7^th, we are co-sponsoring a Parent Action Conference at PS 133 in Brooklyn, (near the Barclay Center and many subway stops). We will have workshops on developing action plans to address school overcrowding, rising class sizes, mayoral control, empowering parents and school leadership teams, opting out of testing, protecting student privacy, and many other critical issues. Free lunch and child care are included. Please register at Eventbrite today to reserve your ticket or click here: http://bit.ly/1KIC487.

Here is the flyer in color; and here in black and white. Please download a flyer and post it in your school or forward this message to other parents and colleagues. Other co-sponsors of this important conference are NYC KidsPAC, the Education Council Consortium (the organization of CECs from all five boroughs), and CEC 15.

2. As you may have heard, Arne Duncan is stepping down from his post as US Education Secretary. He will not be missed; here are some of my memories of his involvement in NYC schools. As for his replacement: our former Commissioner John King? That is another story.

3. We have troubling reports of increased class sizes in many NYC schools this year, particularly in Kindergarten, where the union cap of 25 is apparently being ignored. Please take our survey and tell us what the class sizes are in your school this fall, and if you know of schools where the Kindergarten class size limit of 25 is being violated. The UFT contractual limits in other grades are here. Sadly, these caps have not improved in fifty years.

4. The Independent Budget Office issued a report today, confirming that the number of NYC students in overcrowded schools has been rising, with 452,404 students enrolled in schools in 2013-2014 rated at 102.5% utilization or more. (Why the particular figure of 102.5% is used who knows; especially as most experts believe that the DOE formula underestimates the actual level of overcrowding in our schools). Nearly half a million students in 523 school buildings is what the DOE continues to refer to as “pocket overcrowding”! As we know, and the IBO confirmed, class sizes have been steadily rising as well.

Please sign up for our Parent Action Conference today, and help us achieve fair and equitable class sizes, eliminate school overcrowding and empowered parents to fight for better public schools.

Thanks,

Leonie Haimson
Executive Director
Class Size Matters
124 Waverly Pl.
New York, NY 10011
212-529-3539

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