Saturday, February 26, 2022

UFT RESPONSE TO DECLINING ENROLLMENT SHOULD INCLUDE DEMAND FOR LOWER CLASS SIZES

Chalkbeat had a recent piece on declining enrollments in NYC public schools. They cite state data showing that 75% of schools have had a decline in their student population this year. 

Chalkbeat says the bulk of the decline is coming from low-income families.

Although some schools with more affluent students have seen significant enrollment declines during the pandemic, with families decamping to the Hamptons or enrolling in private schools, drops among low-income students were far more significant. Enrollment among low-income students fell nearly 7% this year, more than twice the decline of students who are not classified as living in poverty.

For the actual numbers:

The state figures show that overall enrollment in the city’s traditional public schools dropped 5.6% this year among students in grades K-12 to roughly 821,000 students, according to a Chalkbeat analysis. Since the pandemic hit in the 2019-2020 school year, K-12 enrollment has dropped by 9%. City officials noted the state data does not include a slew of nontraditional programs, so the figures are lower compared with the city’s own enrollment tallies.

The city counts pre-k and probably 3-k too so its student enrollment numbers are higher. 

Including pre-K, enrollment is down just 1.9% with 938,000 students in the city’s public schools, not including charter schools, according to city figures released in October.

Enrollment declines matter because the majority of a school’s funding is allocated on a per-student basis. And if a school ultimately enrolls fewer students than the city projected, they may be forced to hand funding back, a practice that generated criticism last school year, as some schools owed hundreds of thousands of dollars.

City officials wound up allowing schools to keep the funding they owed, and that policy will continue this school year, officials said. Reduced funding based on lower enrollment may also be offset to some degree by a boost to school budgets spurred by federal relief money and a long-term increase in state funding.

That long-term increase in state funding is supposed to be permanent. 

Has there ever been a better time to demand lower class sizes when the UFT Contract expires in September? Michael Mulgrew won't because he will claim that the money to reduce class sizes will have to come out of our raises. United for Change rejects that argument and says we can mobilize our members and school communities to make a real push for lower class sizes in our Contract along with raises that keep up with inflation.



17 comments:

  1. It's very sad. Smaller class size has been proven over and over again to be one of the most effective ways to increase student outcomes. I don't see why the bureaucrats don't get this.

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  2. Be nice if we thought about this 10 years ago and built more schools in each borough instead of apartments to have more opportunity to lower class sizes.

    lol, to keep up with inflation which will be 10-15% soon. Be lucky to get 2% raise in 2023 and a 3% raise in 2025 . Putin invades Georgia under Bush watch, Crimea under Obama, nothing under the president he helped "install" and then immediately Ukraine under Biden. Incredible.

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  3. 10:50 and that makes Trump what? A decent and honest human being? I think not. He's still a crook and a fraud.

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  4. Are any of the other major unions negotiating their contract before teachers? If so, could they set a precedent of a decent raise, something above the typical 2-3%? Would that even matter or would the UFT just take a horrible deal to 'help' out the city?

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  5. ALL HAIL BIDEN CRIME FAMILY IS FINALLY GETTING EXPOSED..

    TRUMP IS A LOUD MOUTH BUT AT LEAST THINGS WERE BETTER JUST A YEAR AGO .
    ..GO AHEAD PLEASE TELL ME HOW THINGS ARE BETTER WITH THE RESIDENT AND THE JACKAL IN THE WHITEHOUSE..

    get ready inflation 10% gas 4 bucks and counting and the world is laughing at the fools that 81 million ppl voted in

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  6. Straight out of the Trump playbook: "Putin again appeared on TV, appealing to the city’s residents and Ukraine’s outnumbered military forces to help overthrow a government he falsely claimed was led by “terrorists,” “drug addicts” and Nazis.". Propaganda lies similar to what we hear from Republicans.

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  7. "From Trump's viewpoint, Putin is simply exacting welcome revenge on a foreign political enemy of Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump hasn't forgotten the role that the unwitting Zelensky played in Trump's first impeachment.

    This November, Trump's revenge agenda will move to his American supporters. These voters will play their role in exacting revenge against the former president's domestic critics by removing them from office. Hopefully, this will occur in a more peaceful manner than Putin's approach."

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  8. "Many protesters have taken to the streets of Russian cities to condemn President Vladimir Putin's monstrous invasion of Ukraine.

    But where are the Republican voices rising in protest against the likes of former President Trump, Mike Pompeo and Tucker Carlson and their fawning praise of the Russian dictator?

    While these brave Russian protesters are massing in the streets and putting their very lives on the line, our Republican leaders cower fearfully in the face of their authoritarian right wing.

    What moral cowards they are — unless, of course, they actually support this attack on freedom-loving people."

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  9. I don't know how I let this go off the rails on Ukraine but it did when 10:50 started on contract, and then veered off. I should have read closer.

    Debate is over class size in contract, not Ukraine or COVID-19. Please stay on topic. Thanks.

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  10. They rationalize their support Trump, who tried to invade our own country, but for the courage of military leaders who told him to fuck off. They say "oh, he's just a loudmouth". How can one argue with someone with their head so far up their own ass.

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  11. @2:50The world remembers how Trump tried to bribe the President of Ukraine and got impeached for it.

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  12. Second request: This post is not about Trump and Ukraine. Please stay on topic.

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  13. I asked you folks nicely. Stop wasting my time. Please don't accuse me of censorship when you do not follow the very simple rules and a respectful request.

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  14. Back to the topic, let's lower class sizes now! Vote out Mulgrew.

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  15. If there is lower ridership on MTA—cuts in service and hiring. If there is a decrease in students attending NYC public schools—there will be budget cutbacks in schools as well—no matter who is running the UFT or the NYC mayor.

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  16. Now with all these cutbackbacks facing public schools. Adams should step up to the plate and revamp teachers pensions. Please let teachers have the choice and dignity to obtain their full pensions after 20 years of service just like NYPD and Firefighters of NYC. If not bring back the option of the ERI which should be an addition to our new contract. Its a joke NYC teachers do not have the same rights as other NYC employers! Members with over 20 years of service need to speak up and fight for what is legally right!

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  17. One of the constants in years of fewer students was this: The actual number of administrators never declined, thereby raising the ratio of admins to teachers, and admins to students. At the same time high schools operated under rules where a second section of a class could not be created until the solo section has 57 student bodies.
    Secondary schools are overrun with administrators. Many of their roles actually originated as "comp time" jobs for senior teachers. But the system increasingly found more expensive ways to perform a multiplicity of tasks. Class size will rise, teacher slots will disappear, but not a CSA member be touched.

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