The UFT's new class size committee is mounting a member-driven campaign to educate school communities about the state law that limits class sizes, share success stories and provide school chapters with steps they can take to move the process forward.

At their September meeting, committee members talked about the need to provide more information — and to correct misinformation — about the law. The 46-member committee has five subcommittees working on these topics: general messaging, parent engagement, school-to-school connections, school-level implementation and data.

Committee members noted that the DOE does not have a detailed plan for complying with the law and has not logically divided funding among schools to reduce class sizes. Some schools received large allotments this September while others got almost nothing. Some have space but no money, and others have funding but no space, they said.

The UFT is in negotiations with the DOE on a funding application process for schools, UFT Assistant Secretary Michael Sill said. The school principal would apply in cooperation with the chapter leader and the school leadership team.

The idea for creating a school-level application process came from UFT class size committee member Tracy Ivanic, the chapter leader at PS 153 in Queens. She explained the rationale this way: "Apply if you want it so that the money actually goes to a school that can do something with it right away. If you can't do it this year, let us know what you need to get there."

Committee member Bethany Trench, the co-chapter leader at PS 199 in Manhattan, has had as many as 31 2nd-graders in a class. "When you have so many kids in a class, it's impossible to be as good a teacher as you can be," she said.

Ivanic and Trench said they have been sharing information about the class size law at every opportunity — PTA meetings, school leadership team meetings and districtwide chapter leader meetings.

"We all want these smaller class sizes," Trench said. "We're dreaming of that day."