Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters

Oct. 15, 2014

WHY DOE’S C4E PLAN VIOLATES THE LANGUAGE AND INTENT OF THE LAW

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 top priority of parents in D6 and citywide

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5%

10%

15%

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25% 23%

17%15%

12%9% 8%

5% 4% 4%2%

20% 20%

13%15%

8%9%

5%

9%

5%3%

Top parent responses for school improvement in District 6 compared to Citywide results

Citywide

D6

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 6 have increased in grades K-3 by 16.2% since 2007 and are far above Contracts for Excellence goals

2007

-8

2008

-9

2009

-10

2010

-11

2011

-12

2012

-13

2013

-14

15

17

19

21

23

25

27

20.7 20.520.3 20.1 19.9 19.9

19.9

20.921.4

22.1

22.9

23.9 24.524.9

21.0

21.3

22.623.2

23.724.1

24.4

C4E goals

Citywide actual

D6

Axis Title

Data sources: DOE Class Size Reports 2006-2013, 2007 DOE Contracts for Excellence Approved Plan

CSD 6’s class sizes in grades 4-8 have increased by 2% since 2008 and are well above Contracts for Excellence goals

2007-8 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-1422

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

24.824.6

23.8

23.322.9 22.9

22.9

25.1

25.3

25.826.3

26.626.7 26.8

25.1

24.8

25.6 25.8 25.726.0

25.3

C4E target

Citywide actual

D6

Data sources: DOE Class Size Reports 2006-2013, 2007 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

Examples of schools in CSD 6 with large class sizes, K-3 in 2012-13

25

27

29

31

33 3231

29 2928

D6 1st Grade

P.S. 005 ELLEN LURIE

P.S. 028 WRIGHT

BROTHERS

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS ACADEMY

P.S. 008 LUIS BELLIARD

0

10

20

30

40

50

6053

31 31 30

D6 2nd Grade

26

28

30 29 29 29 2928 28

D6 3rd Grade

22

24

26

28

30 2826 25 25 25 25

D6 Kindergarten

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

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. is giving 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.”

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.

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 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.

Over-utilized ES and MS buildings in CSD 6 and in Manhattan HS

• In 2012-13 there were 13 ES and MS buildings in CSD 6 that are over-utilized. The seat need is over 900 students.

• 16 Manhattan high school buildings are over-utilized. Over 3,500 seats are needed to reduce building utilization to 100%.

• Please note that the seat need here is higher because it takes into account all buildings that are over-utilized (100% or more) rather than the need averaged across the district.

Source: 2012-2013 DOE Blue Book

13 CSD 6 ES and MS Buildings are over-utilized985 seats needed to reach 100% building utilization

P.S. 4

8 TRANSPORTABLE

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P.S./I

.S. 1

87

P.S./I

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P.S. 8

P.S. 1

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CHOOL0%

50%

100%

150%

200%

250%

217%

140% 134% 130%121% 120% 119% 116% 116% 115% 109%

101% 100%

Source: 2012-2013 DOE Blue Book

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

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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

New Seats in Capital Plan and DOE Enrollment Projections for CSD 6

-4,000

-3,500

-3,000

-2,500

-2,000

-1,500

-1,000

-500

0

500

-1,356

-3,737

110

According to housing starts, 110 new students in CSD 6 projected by 2021 but no seats will be added in capital plan

0

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.

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2011

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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!

Will you help us?• Sign up for the Class Size Matters newsletter.

• Meet with your City Councilmember (Speaker Mark Levine, Ydanis Rodriguez) and urge her to expand the capital plan and end all future co-locations.

• Be pro-active about fighting for your children to receive their constitutional right to a sound basic education, by lowering class size.

• Any questions, please email us at info@classsizematters.org

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