Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters

Oct. 16, 2014

HOW DOE’S C4E PLAN DOES NOTHING TO ADDRESS CLASS SIZE OR OVERCROWDING IN

D5 AND CITYWIDE

CFE and C4E • In 2003, the state’s highest court concluded in the Campaign for Fiscal

Equity (CFE) case that NYC kids were denied their fundamental constitutional right to an adequate education.

• This was primarily because NYC class sizes were much larger than NY state averages and far larger than research shows is optimal.

• In 2007, a new state law was passed, the Contracts for Excellence (C4E) that would provide NYC with extra funds on condition that the city also submit a plan to reduce class size in all grades.

• Yet every year since then, class sizes have increased, and now in the early grades are the largest in 15 years!

Reducing class size #1 priority of parents in D5 and citywide

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0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25% 23%

17%15%

12%

9% 8%

5% 4% 4%2%

20%

16% 15%

11% 10% 10% 9%

4%7%

3%

Top parent responses for school improvement in District 5 compared to Citywide results

Citywide

D5

DOE’s class size reduction plan • In Nov. 2007, the DOE submitted a plan to gradually

reduce average class size over five years at three different grade ranges.

• In K-3, class sizes to be reduced to no more than 20 students per class, in grades 4-8 no more than 23 and HS core classes would be no more than 25 on average

• Yet each year since 2008, class sizes have increased rather than decreased and are now largest in 15 years in early grades.

Class sizes in CSD 5 have increased in grades K-3 by 10.6% since 2006 and are now above Contracts for Excellence goals

Baseli

ne

2007

-8

2008

-9

2009

-10

2010

-11

2011

-12

2012

-13

2013

-14

15

17

19

21

23

25

27

21

20.7 20.520.3

20.1 19.9 19.919.9

21.0

20.9 21.422.1

22.9

23.924.5

24.9

19.719.1

18.9

20.1

20.9

21.621.4

20.9

C4E goals

Citywide actual

D5

Stu

den

ts p

er s

ecti

on

Data sources: DOE Class Size Reports 2006-2013, 2008 DOE Contracts for Excellence Approved Plan

Class sizes city-wide have increased in core HS classes as well, by 2.3% since 2007, though the DOE data is unreliable*

*DOE’s class size data is unreliable & their methodology for calculating HS averages have changed year to year

2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-1424

24.5

25

25.5

26

26.5

27

26.025.7

25.2

24.8

24.5 24.524.5

26.126.2

26.6 26.5

26.4 26.3

26.7

C4E Target

Citywide Actual

Data sources: DOE Class Size Reports 2006-2013, 2008 DOE Contracts for Excellence Approved Plan

D5 schools w/ large class sizes, grades K-3(data source: DOE class size reports Nov. 2013 )

P.S. 036 MARGARET DOUGLAS

P.S. 133 FRED R MOORE

Teachers College Community School

24

26

28

26 26

25

D5 Kindergarten

P.S. 133 FRED R MOORE

P.S. 036 MARGARET DOUGLAS

Teachers College Community School

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

3130

25 25

D5 1st Grade

0

10

20

30

40 34 3325

D5 2nd Grade

22

24

26

28

3028

26 26 25 25

D5 3rd Grade

Why? Because DOE has cut back school budgets by 14% since 2007

• In the state C4E law, says these funds must “supplement not supplant” city funds.

• This means that the DOE could not cut back its own funding to schools when the state increased its funding. But this is what happened, starting the first year of C4E.

• This year, in its C4E plan, for the first time DOE admits allowing supplanting – but also claims that the State Education Dept. has given its permission for this to occur.

• “Expenditures made using C4E funds must ‘supplement, not supplant”’ funding provided by the school district; however, SED has provided guidance explaining that certain expenditures may be paid for with C4E funds even though these programs or expenditures were originally or have been typically paid for by the district or by other grants.”

FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY 13

79,10979,021

76,795

74,958

72,787

73,844

Instead of hiring new teachers, the number has dropped by more than

5,000 since 2007-8 citywidedata source: Mayor's Management Report

Other ways city has encouraged class size increases

• In 2010, the DOE eliminated the early grade class size reduction funding for K-3, despite promising to keep it as part of its C4E plan.

• In 2011, the DOE refused to comply with a side agreement with the UFT to cap class sizes at 28 in grades 1-3, leading to sharp increases in these grades to 30 or more.

• Co-locations have made overcrowding worse, and taken space that instead could have been used to reduce class size.

• When principals try to lower class size, particularly in middle or high schools, DOE often sends them more students.

Co-locations: impact on space quite severe

• Many schools in D5 and elsewhere overcrowded.

• Co-locations have made overcrowding worse, and taken space that instead could have been used to reduce class size.

• Charter co-locations in many instances have eliminated preKs, art and music rooms, access to libraries and gyms.

• They have taken away rooms needed for special education/intervention services.

Case study: impact of Harlem Success 4 on PS 241

• PS 241 had to give up preK, & phase out middle school grades

• Lost their art room, and a science room, occupational/physical therapists forced to give services in hallways.

• Left with ½ size room and ¼ size room for speech therapist, ESL teacher, and intervention specialists – though 27% students had disabilities and 26% ELLs.

• Meanwhile, Harlem Success 4 had 6 cluster rooms, including 3 science labs, art room, dance studio, and block room, and speech room (only used 2 days per week)

PTA office/speech therapy room at PS/MS 149 – space squeezed by Success charter expansion

Room taken by Success charter from PS 175 now sitting empty

More ways DOE has worked to increase class size in its C4E plan

• DOE refuses to allocate any funds specifically towards class size reduction in its targeted or citywide C4E allocations.

• DOE allows principals to use C4E funds to “Minimize growth of class size,” which is not class size reduction.

• DOE has never aligned its capital plan or the school utilization formula to smaller classes, contrary to the C4E law.

Overcrowding in D5 and Manhattan

• Last year there were 5 District 5 buildings with elementary and middle school students that were over 100% utilization.

• 17 Manhattan high school buildings were over-utilized.

• Most experts believe that these figures underestimate the actual level of overcrowding in our schools; and so Chancellor has appointed a task force to revamp the Blue Book formula.

• Yet there are NO seats for D5 or for Manhattan HS in the capital plan.

Source: 2013-2014 DOE Blue Book

7 D5 ES and MS Buildings are over-utilized598 Seats Needed to reach 100% building utilization

P.S. 194 P.S. 175 P.S. 318 P.S. 125 P.S. 92 P.S. 123 P.S. 1610%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

140%

160%

143%

127%

120%

105% 104% 104% 102%

Source: 2013-2014 DOE Blue Book

18 Manhattan HS buildings are over-utilized3,548 Seats Needed to reach 100% building utilization

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T FOR M

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MID

TOWN E

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0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

140%

160%

180%

160%

146% 143%137%

132% 128% 126% 123%118% 114%

109% 107% 107% 107% 105% 103% 102% 101%

Source: 2012-2013 DOE Blue Book

City-wide Enrollment Projections K-8 vs. New Seats in Capital Plan *Statistical Forecasting does not include

D75 students; K-8 Seats in Capital Plan are categorized as Small PS and PS/IS and includes 4,900 seats for class size reduction if Bond issue passes.

Statis

tical

For

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ting

2011

-202

1

Grier P

artn

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ip 2

011-

2021

Housin

g Sta

rts, E

stim

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Gro

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012-

2021

Capita

l Pla

n, N

ew S

eats

2015

-201

90

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

40,589

51,954

38,244 36,654

Source for Housing Starts: NYSCA Projected New Housing Starts 2012-2021, http://www.nycsca.org/Community/CapitalPlanManagementReportsData/Housing/2012-21HousingWebChart.pdf; Projected public school ratio, https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Education/Projected-Public-School-Ratio/n7ta-pz8k

City-wide Enrollment Projections HS vs. New Seats in Capital Plan

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

18,000

20,000 19,46118,387

13,483

3,102

*Statistical Forecasting does not include D75 students; HS Seats in Capital Plan are categorized as IS/HS and does not include seats for class size reduction

Source for Housing Starts: NYSCA Projected New Housing Starts 2012-2021, http://www.nycsca.org/Community/CapitalPlanManagementReportsData/Housing/2012-21HousingWebChart.pdf; Projected public school ratio, https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Education/Projected-Public-School-Ratio/n7ta-pz8k

Bill de Blasio promised to reduce class size while running for Mayor

• During his campaign, Mayor de Blasio promised if elected to abide by the city’s original class size plan approved by the state in 2007.

• The Mayor needs to deliver on his promise and provide what NYC parents want and their children need.

• He also needs to expand the capital plan to alleviate school overcrowding, end ALL co-locations, and build more schools!

Comparison of class sizes in Blue book compared to current averages & Contract for excellence goals

Grade levelsUFT Contract

class size limits

Target class sizes in "blue

book"

Current average

class sizes

C4E class Size goals

How many students allowed in 500 Sq ft

classroom according to NYC building code

Kindergarten 25 20 23 19.9 14

1st-3rd 32 20 25.5 19.9 254th-5th 32 28 26 22.9 25

6th-8th

30 (Title I)

33 (non-Title I)

28 27.4 22.9 25

HS (core classes) 34 30 26.7* 24.5 25

*DOE reported HS class sizes unreliable