Testimony before the City Council Education Committee on the proposal to make Kindergarten mandatory and the special education initiative (6.12.12)

The following testimony on the possible impact of mandatory Kindergarten and the Special Education Initiative from Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters, was presented before the City Council Education Committee on June 12, 2012.

Ms. Haimson first notes the surging class sizes which would erupt from the Department of Education’s  Special Education Initiative . The testimony below then suggests what the impact may be of the proposal to make Kindergarten mandatory, and recommends that funding for school capacity projects be accelerated and moved into the next fiscal year.