What to Know
- Less than two weeks ago Gov. Kathy Hochul hinted that she may look to pass a bill that would put a cap on class sizes throughout New York City. Now, the cap will be a reality for schools -- this after the governor signed a bill establishing them Thursday.
- For kindergarten through 3rd grade, the cap would be the most limited, at 20. It would then bump up to a maximum of 23 children per class for grades 4-8, and bump again to a maximum of 25 to a class for high school students.
- Hochul has agreed to delay the start of the 5-year phase-in by one year so the phase-in will now begin in September 2023 and be complete by September 2028.
Less than two weeks ago, Gov. Kathy Hochul hinted that she may look to pass a bill that would put a cap on class sizes throughout New York City. Now, the cap will be a reality for schools -- this after the governor signed a bill establishing them Thursday.
For kindergarten through 3rd grade, the cap would be the most limited, at 20. It would then bump up to a maximum of 23 children per class for grades 4-8, and bump again to a maximum of 25 to a class for high school students.
Hochul has agreed to delay the start of the 5-year phase-in by one year, allowing it now to begin in September 2023 and be complete by September 2028.
The news was met with approval by United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Michael Mulgrew. UFT is the labor union that represents most teachers in New York City public schools.
"For decades, New York City parents and teachers have been fighting for lower class sizes," Mulgrew said. "We now have something to celebrate."
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Despite the initial tepid support from the governor, there has been major push back from New York City Mayor Eric Adams from the start.
"I am inclined to be supportive. I just have to work out a few more details with the mayor," Hochul previously said Aug. 26.
On Thursday, Adams said he appreciated the collaboration the city had with the governor regarding the topic.
"We appreciate the governor’s collaboration on this legislation since it’s last-minute passage last year, particularly the elongated timeline," Adams said. "We look forward to working with our partners in Albany to ensure that New York’s student have what they need to succeed.”
Adams' statement follows one issued by a City Hall spokesperson who told NBC New York last month that "while this administration strongly supports lower class sizes, unless there is guaranteed funding, we will see cuts elsewhere…that would harm our most vulnerable students in our highest need communities."
State Senator John Liu, of Queens, who sponsored the legislation, criticized the city's position at the time.
"They can't continue to say they support small class sizes without actually doing it," Liu said. "He calls it an unfounded mandate, which is just wrong currently and wrong historically. The reality is we’ve already allocated a substantial amount of additional funding for NYC schools."
Liu said the city has $1.6 billion in state dollars, while Adams said that the change would cost $500 million to implement it in elementary school alone.
The proposal initially came about as the city was still in court, battling about deep cuts it made to the education budget. Most recently, a judge ordered the city's Department of Education to restore the funding it slashed.
