AGREEMENT IN ALBANY TO EXTEND MAYORAL CONTROL IN EXCHANGE FOR LOWER CLASS SIZES

This is from Senator on John Liu on Twitter:

We understand it is a two-year extension. This is from Chalkbeat's Reema Amin and reporter Zack Fink on Twitter:

We read most of the text of the companion lower class size bill. It is actual class sizes of 20 for K-3, 23 for 4-8, and 25 for the high schools except for music and physical education which would be 40. The class size plan has to be for now and must be fully implemented by 2027. You can read some of the bill text yourself if you are looking for loopholes.

In  a city school district in a city having a population of

    29  one million or more inhabitants such contract shall also include a plan,

    30  which shall be developed in collaboration with the collective bargaining

    31  units representing teachers and the principals and signed off on by  the

    32  chancellor  and the presidents of each bargaining unit, to reduce [aver-

    33  age] actual class sizes, [as defined by the  commissioner,  within  five

    34  years  for the following grade ranges: (A) pre-kindergarten-third grade]

    35  beginning September two  thousand  twenty-two  and  to  be  achieved  by

    36  September  two thousand twenty-seven for all classes, with the exception

    37  of physical education and performing groups, as follows: (1)  kindergar-

    38  ten-third  grade  to  have no more than twenty students per class; [(B)]

    39  (2) fourth-eighth grade to have no more than twenty-three  students  per

    40  class;  and  [(C)]  (3)  high  school  to  have no more than twenty-five

    41  students per class. [Such]  Physical  education  and  performing  groups

    42  shall  have  no  more  than forty students per class at all levels. Each

    43  year of the plan, an additional twenty percent of the classrooms in  the

    44  city  school  district, excluding special education classes, shall be in

    45  compliance with the  class  size  targets  such  that  the  city  school

    46  district  is  in  full  compliance  by two thousand twenty-seven and all

    47  classes should maintain the target class size. The class size  reduction

    48  plan  shall  prioritize  schools serving populations with higher poverty

    49  levels.

    50    (B) The class size reduction plan shall include [class size  reduction

    51  for  low  performing and overcrowded schools and also] any exemptions to

    52  the class size targets. These exemptions shall be limited to: (1) space;

    53  (2) over-enrolled students; (3) license area shortages; and  (4)  severe

    54  economic distress. Any such exemptions shall be approved by the chancel-

    55  lor  and  the presidents of the collective bargaining units representing

    56  the teachers and the principals as part  of  the  class  size  reduction

        A. 10498                            5

 

     1  plan.    Should  the  chancellor  and  the  presidents of the collective

     2  bargaining units representing the teachers and the principals be  unable

     3  to  reach agreement on the exemptions after thirty days, the issue shall

     4  be  determined  by  an  arbitrator.  In addition, any exemption based on

     5  available space shall include a  reference  to  the  capital  budget  to

     6  demonstrate  that  the  budget  is  aligned with resolving the exemption

     7  status. Exempted classes, for the years in which they  are  exempt,  and

     8  special  education  classes  shall  not  count toward the twenty percent

     9  target.

    10    (C) The class size reduction plan shall also include the methods to be

    11  used to achieve [such] the class  [sizes]  size  targets,  such  as  the

    12  creation  or  construction  of more classrooms and school buildings, the

    13  placement of more than one teacher in a classroom or methods  to  other-

    14  wise  reduce  the  student  to  teacher  ratio[; provided, however, that

    15  notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the  contrary,  the  sole

    16  and  exclusive  remedy for a violation of the requirements of this para-

    17  graph shall be pursuant to a petition to the commissioner under subdivi-

    18  sion seven of section three hundred ten of this title, and the  decision

    19  of  the  commissioner on such petition shall be final and unreviewable],

    20  but only as a temporary measure until more classrooms are made available

    21  in conformance with the plan. For elective and  specialty  classes,  the

    22  collective  bargaining  unit  representing  teachers may negotiate class

    23  sizes higher than the targets if such increase is approved by a majority

    24  of the staff in the school.