Update on city’s decision to reject class size recommendations of DOE working group

July 30, 2015

Dear Friends,

1.  On Tuesday, the city announced it would reject the recommendations of the Blue Book Working Group, appointed by the Chancellor and co-chaired by the head of the School Construction Authority, to incorporate smaller classes into the school utilization formula. The city suppressed these recommendations for more than six months, and this week, attempted to bury the news that they would not accept them without posting the announcement or the recommendations on the DOE website or putting out a real press release.

As was pointed out in Schoolbook, DNAinfo, Chalkbeat, and on WNYC radio, this disappointing decision will likely lead to even larger classes, as more and more students and co-located schools are pushed into already overcrowded buildings. Please see our blog posts, where attorney Wendy Lecker points out how the city’s decision appears to violate NY education law and the state constitution, andhere, where I show how it violates specific promises made by Bill de Blasio during his campaign.

2.  Please sign our petition NOW, urging the Chancellor to reduce class size, as required by the state Contracts for Excellence mandate. I intend to share this petition with our new Education Commissioner Mary Beth Elia, who has the authority to reject the city’s inadequate C4E plan and force NYC to comply with the law.

Thanks,

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

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