leonie haimson, class size matters oct. 16, 2014 how doe’s c4e plan does nothing to address class...
TRANSCRIPT
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
Smal
ler c
lass
size
Mor
e pr
epar
atio
n fo
r sta
te te
sts
Mor
e ha
nds-
on le
arni
ng
Strong
er e
nrich
men
t pro
gram
s
Mor
e ef
fecti
ve te
achi
ng
Strong
er a
rts p
rogr
ams
Mor
e ef
fecti
ve sc
hool
lead
ersh
ip
Mor
e rig
orou
s cur
ricul
um
Bette
r com
mun
icatio
n with
par
ents
Less
pre
para
tion
for s
tate
tests
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
BEACON HS
CITY A
S SCHOOL
(OLD
95)
HEALTH P
ROFESSIONS H
S (OL
STY)
LIBERTY H
S
J. K
. ONASSIS
HS F
OR INT C
AREERS
FIORELL
O LAGUARDIA
HS
THE HERIT
AGE SCHOOL
PARK EAST H
S
STUYVESANT HS (N
EW)
HS FOR E
NVIRONM
ENTAL STUDIE
S
G. WASHIN
GTON HS E
DUC. CAM
PUS
EDWARD A
. REYNOLD
S WEST S
IDE H
S
MNHT C
OMP N
IGHT&DAY (O
L BACN X
)
GREGORIO L
UPERON PREP. S
CHOOL
OLD M
ANHATTAN VOC/T
ECH HS
MANHTN C
T FOR M
ATH & S
CI. HS
HS FOR E
CONOMIC
S & F
INANCE
MID
TOWN E
AST CAM
PUS
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
ecas
ting
2011
-202
1
Grier P
artn
ersh
ip 2
011-
2021
Housin
g Sta
rts, E
stim
ated
Gro
wth 2
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