New York City announced the completion and opening of 24 new school buildings just one day before the start of the public school year on September 4th, capable of accommodating 11,000 students, setting a record for the most school buildings added in the past twenty years. Despite this achievement, public schools are required to implement small class sizes in accordance with state law, and the pace of these new constructions is still insufficient. As the new school year begins in September next year, it will face a significant challenge for the first time.
In 2022, the New York State Assembly passed the New York City Class Size Reduction Law, which set new class size limits for public schools in New York City. It requires that by the 2027-2028 school year, the following goals should be achieved: kindergarten to third grade classes should have a maximum of 20 students, fourth to eighth grade classes should have a maximum of 23 students, and high school classes should have a maximum of 25 students. According to a report from education news website Chalkbeat, to meet the statutory goals, at least 60% of classes in the city must meet the standards by next September. However, as per a report released by the Department of Education in December last year, only about 40% of classes currently meet these standards, with over 70,000 classes exceeding the statutory limits. Therefore, reaching the 60% target next year will be extremely challenging. The city estimates that the consequences of not meeting these standards are severe, with the state having the legal right to withhold over $800 million in funding annually.
Chalkbeat reported that the Department of Education has no overall strategy for this issue and is still adopting a piecemeal approach. In its latest class size reduction plan released in July, the Department outlined measures that schools can take, including: reusing school spaces, reassigning teachers, balancing class sizes and considering virtual classes. It also requires the 45 school district superintendents in the city to find ways to increase the number of classes meeting standards in their respective districts by 3%. However, New York City still falls short in hiring teachers and building classrooms. Despite providing $140 million in funding for reducing class sizes, public schools have only recruited 4,200 new teachers this year, which is lower than the 4,500 hired last year. To fully implement small class sizes, another approximately 10,000 to 12,000 teachers need to be hired. Furthermore, although the city recently increased the School Construction Authority’s (SCA) five-year capital plan by $2 billion for building classrooms, it is still inadequate. The SCA estimates that it would require several hundred billion more dollars.
Restricting the number of students in schools with over-enrollment and reallocating students to schools with low enrollment rates is the fastest and most effective way to address the issue. However, it may face strong opposition from parents, as many of the overcrowded schools are popular specialized high schools favored by both parents and students. Education Chancellor David Banks stated at a press conference on September 4th whether or not to limit the enrollment in some renowned schools to comply with the state-mandated small class sizes will ultimately be decided by the mayor.