Albany passed a law to reduce class sizes in all New York City classrooms by September of 2028. The state is providing New York City with $1.6 billion in new, recurring funding to help make it happen. But the DOE is now doing all it can to avoid implementing the law. 

The law makes the New York City Department of Education responsible for building more classroom seats in congested neighborhoods, so no child is pushed out of their chosen school. 

It won't be easy, but if we come together we can get it done. 

★ Read the testimony delivered by UFT Assistant Secretary Michael Sill before the City Council Education Committee on implementing the state class size law (Feb. 29, 2024).  

What city educators are saying about smaller class sizes

• "Smaller class sizes would bring students who have for so long hidden among a sea of 32 students out of the shadows and into the spotlight where they belong." 
  — Carmen Romero, PS 89, Manhattan
• It's often frustrating to recognize how overcrowded classrooms limit our options in trying to reach every child to thoroughly meet their learning needs. Smaller class sizes for our city's public schools would reduce the risk of overlooking students with profound learning challenges or untapped potential.”
  — Greg Monte, Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School, Brooklyn
• "A smaller class size...would mean more individualized and targeted instruction. Students would benefit from having more 1:1 time with teachers and more small group work."
  — Barbara Rosep, PS 150, Bronx
• "My students have so much potential that at times it's hard to identify it in a classroom with 27 other children."
  — Faiza Khalid, PS 36, Manhattan
• “Having a reduced class size would not only benefit the general education student but even more so those who have IEPs or are ENL students. Less students would mean more support for students that really need it."
  — Melissa Alvarez, John Bowne, HS, Queens
• “Smaller classes would allow teachers to give their students more targeted instruction. Teachers are stretched thin every day to meet the academic needs of their students and with smaller class sizes we can make a more meaningful impact in the lives of students.”
  — Katherine Peña, PS 150, The Bronx

Watch a video produced by Class Size Matters about the impact of smaller class sizes on education quality and student learning.