Thursday, September 08, 2022

HOCHUL SIGNS CLASS SIZE REDUCTION BILL; POSTPONES IMPLEMENTATION FOR A YEAR

Lower class sizes for NYC has been signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul but implementation will not begin until 2023. It will be fully phased in by 2028. 

Class size legal limits for NYC:

K-3: 20

4-8: 23

Most HS: 25 (phys Ed, music: 40)

For the skeptics (most of us), we will believe these numbers when we see them. However, we have to acknowledge this is a giant step forward.

Thank you Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters for never giving up, Senators Robert Jackson and John Liu  for their legislative push, as well as everyone who has advocated for lower class sizes for NYC students.

The cynic in me does wonder if a recent poll showing the Governor's race tightening helped push this along. 

As for timing, the passing of Queen Elizabeth II today may have just moved the class size story down a bit on the public radar. We are sorry for the loss of the Queen though I would not call myself a major royalist. My wife is more of a royalist. She met the Queen and thought well of her.



9 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is just about the only good thing 👿Hochul signed, if ever implemented.

Anonymous said...

Like everything in the doe, what happens when the chancellor and superintendents and principals ignore these bills and laws?

Will the UFT hold them accountable or will the UFT follow the lead Weingarten started and do nothing and tell us it’s all good?

Anonymous said...

Will the members call in the Sheriff, if the law is ignored?
Sounds like we have this "ignore the law" way too often since the lockdowns.
Keep that in mind in November, and vote.

Anonymous said...

Well, does the UFT enforce the actual present class caps, or not? As far as I’ve seen they do, or rather the DOE likes to avoid lawsuits from any direction.

Why such resistance? If we’re purely about financing, they could be transparent about that. They’re not. Other pressures and influences are at work, clearly. Connect the dots, finish the sentence, follow the money, first thought best thought, nod nod, wink wink, is as good as a nudge to a blind bat.

Anonymous said...

Nod’s a good as a wink

Anonymous said...

Expectations about live attendance for large classes? Live attendance taken multiple times for live outreach within period? What is union saying about this? Is it on the radar?

Anonymous said...

8:48 that must be your school, amd possibly others. Our only live attendance is our official attendance period. The rest is due at the end of the day

Anonymous said...

Hochul is doing this for votes and will renege. It will only be implemented if there is room and the weasels in nyc doe will make sure there is no room. If the media weren’t pushing an agenda the death of a queen wouldn’t interfere with the reporting of real news. 96 year old dies isn’t big news in NY that should trump other news no matter what you think of Queen Elizabeth. She seemed like a decent person but as an American, monarchies don’t interest me at all. How much time should be spent reporting on the death of a 96 year old queen? One day is enough. New Yorkers have more important things to discuss

Anonymous said...

That goes for this new digital attendance
as well?