Transcript Community Education Council, District 10 Presentation

CLASS SIZE AND SCHOOL
OVERCROWDING IN D25 AND CITYWIDE
Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters
Community Education Council 25 meeting
Nov. 5, 2014
Why is class size important?
• Class size reduction one of 4 reforms proven to work
through rigorous evidence, acc. to Inst. Education
Sciences, research arm of US Ed Dept. *
• Benefits especially large for disadvantaged & minority
students, effective at narrowing the achievement gap.
• NYC schools have largest class sizes in state.
• 86% of NYC principals say cannot provide a quality
education because of excessive class sizes.
• Smaller classes are top priority of parents on DOE’s
learning environment surveys every year.
*Other K-12 evidence-based reforms: one-on-one tutoring by qualified tutors for at-risk readers
in grades 1-3, Life-Skills training for junior high students, and instruction for early readers in
phonemic awareness and phonics.
Reducing class size #1 priority of parents in
D25 and citywide
Data Source: 2014 NYC School Survey Results
Top parent responses for school improvement in District 25
compared to Citywide results
25%
20%
15%
10%
23%
19%
17%
16%
15%
14%
12%
Citywide
D25
13%
9%
10%
8%
5%
5%
4%
4%
2%
0%
Smaller classes also the
constitutional right of NYC children
• 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!
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 would 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 25 have increased in grades K-3
by 16.4% since 2006 and are now far above C4E goals
26
25.2
25
Students per Section
24
23.6
23
22
22.6
21.4
21.5
21.6
24.0
23.9
20
21.0
21.0
22.1
C4E goals
Citywide actual
D25
20.9
20.7
20.5
20.3
24.5
22.9
21.4
21
24.9
24.9
20.1
19.9
19
18
Data sources: DOE Class Size Reports 2006-2013, 2008 DOE Contracts for Excellence Approved Plan
19.9
19.9
CSD 25’s class sizes in grades 4-8 have increased by 6.4%
since 2006 and are now far above C4E goals
30
28.4
27.7
28
26.4
Students per Section
26
26.6
27.6
26.9
26.3
27.7
28.1
26.6
26.7
26.8
22.9
22.9
22.9
25.8
25.6
25.1
25.3
24.8
24.6
25.6
24
23.8
23.3
22
C4E target
Citywide actual
D25
20
18
Baseline
2007-8
2008-9
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
Data sources: DOE Class Size Reports 2006-2013, 2008 DOE Contracts for Excellence Approved Plan
2013-14
Class sizes city-wide have increased in core HS classes as
well, by 2.3% since 2007, though the DOE data is unreliable*
27
26.6
26.5
26
26.1
26.0
26.7
26.5
26.4
26.2
26.3
25.7
C4E Target
25.5
25.2
Citywide
Actual
25
24.8
24.5
24.5
24.5
24.5
24
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
*DOE’s class size data is unreliable &
their methodology for calculating HS averages have changed year to year
Data sources: DOE Class Size Reports 2006-2013, 2008 DOE Contracts for Excellence Approved Plan
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 in 2007, 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.”
Examples of schools in CSD 25
with large class sizes, K-3
data source: NYC DOE Class Size Report 2013-14
D25 1st Grade
D25 Kindergarten
28
27
27
26
26
25
25
24
24
27
27
26
25
25
25
25
25
25
33
32
32
32
31
31
31
30
30
30
30
30
30
30
D25 3rd Grade
D25 2nd Grade
34
33
33
32
32
31
31
30
30
29
33
32
32
31
31
30
30
29
29
28
32
32
31
31
34
33
33
32
32
31
31
30
30
29
29
33
32
31
31
31
31
30
30
30
Instead of hiring new teachers, the number has
dropped by more than
5,000 since 2007-8 citywide
data source: Mayor's Management Report
79,109
79,021
76,795
74,958
73,844
72,787
FY08
FY09
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY 13
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 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 worsening in D25 schools
• District 25 Elementary schools average utilizations
increased from 109.7% in 2012-13 to 111.9% last year.
• D25 Middle Schools the most overcrowded in the city at
100.4%.
• 467 students were in trailers or TCUs.
• Schools would register even more overcrowded if DOE
formula aligned to smaller classes & sufficient cluster
rooms and dedicated spaces for special ed services.
Data sources: Blue Book 2012-2013 and 2013-2014
Overcrowding in D25 and Queens HS
• Last year there were 22 District 25 buildings with elementary and
middle school students that were over 100% utilization.
• 29 Queens 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.
• DOE consultants project 3,228-3,730 new D25 students over next 5-
10 years.
• Yet there are only 1,397 ES & MS seats for D25 in the 5 year plan,
though we identify need of at least 1,969.
• There are only 2,208 Queens HS seats although they identified a seat
need of 5,604 - & we identify need of 6,274
Data Sources: 2013-2014 DOE Blue Book, Grier Partnership/Statistical Forecasting projections, NYC DOE
Proposed Five Year Capital Plan FY 2015-2019
21 Elem schl Buildings over-utilized in D 25
2,358 Elem seats needed to reach 100% in these buildings
180%
170%
162%
160%
154%
144% 141%
140%
120%
135% 135% 133%
128%
123% 122%
118% 117% 116%
114% 111%
110% 109% 107% 107%
106%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Source: 2012-2013 DOE Blue Book
3 MS buildings are over-utilized in CSD 25
365 MS seats needed to reach 100% building utilization
120%
118%
115%
110%
106%
105%
104%
100%
95%
J.H.S. 185
J.H.S. 237
Source: 2012-2013 DOE Blue Book
J.H.S. 168
26 Queens High School Buildings are over-utilized
13,331 HS seats needed to reach 100% building utilization
200% 190%
180%
160%
140%
120%
175%
156%154%152%
150%148%
144%
135%134%133%
130%127%126%
124%121%120%
119%118%117%116%116%
110%108%108%106%
102%101%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Source: 2012-2013 DOE Blue Book
New Seats in Capital Plan and DOE
Enrollment Projections for D25
4,000
3,730
3,500
3,228
3,000
2,500
2,252
2,000
1,500
1,397
1,000
500
0
ES and MS New Seats from
Capital Plan FY 2015-2019
Enrollment Projections, Statistical
Forecasting 2011-2021
Enrollment Projections, Grier
Partnership 2011-2021
Housing Starts, Estimated
Growth 2012-2021
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.
60,000
51,954
Source for Housing Starts: NYSCA
Projected New Housing Starts 2012-2021,
http://www.nycsca.org/Community/Capital
PlanManagementReportsData/Housing/20
12-21HousingWebChart.pdf; Projected
public school ratio,
https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Education/Pr
ojected-Public-School-Ratio/n7ta-pz8k
50,000
40,589
38,244
40,000
36,654
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
Statistical Forecasting
2011-2021
Grier Partnership
2011-2021
Housing Starts,
Estimated Growth
2012-2021
Capital Plan, New
Seats 2015-2019
City-wide Enrollment Projections HS vs. New Seats in
Capital Plan
20,000
*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
19,461
18,387
Source for Housing Starts: NYSCA Projected
New Housing Starts 2012-2021,
http://www.nycsca.org/Community/CapitalPlan
ManagementReportsData/Housing/201221HousingWebChart.pdf; Projected public
school ratio,
https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Education/Projec
ted-Public-School-Ratio/n7ta-pz8k
18,000
16,000
13,483
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
3,102
2,000
0
Statistical Forecasting
2011-2021
Grier Partnership
2011-2021
Housing Starts,
Estimated Growth
2012-2021
Capital Plan, New
Seats 2015-2019
Summary of school seats need in D 25
• 1,969 elementary seats plus about 34 MS seats needed
currently to reach 100% utilization, averaged across
district.
• 70,000 to 90,000 more seats will be needed to
accommodate enrollment growth, according to DOE
projections.
• Yet only 1400 seats are in the current proposed five year
capital plan.
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!
How can you help?
• Sign up for the Class Size Matters newsletter.
• Meet with your City Councilmembers (Vallone, Koo,
Lancman) to urge them 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.
• Questions, please email us at [email protected]
Comparison of class sizes in Blue book compared to
current averages & Contract for excellence goals
UFT Contract Target class
Current
Grade levels class size sizes in "blue average
limits
book"
class sizes
Kindergarten
1st-3rd
4th-5th
6th-8th
HS (core
classes)
How many students
C4E class allowed in 500 Sq ft
Size goals classroom according
to NYC building code
25
20
23
19.9
14
32
32
30 (Title I)
20
28
25.5
26
19.9
22.9
25
25
28
27.4
22.9
25
30
26.7*
24.5
25
33 (non-Title
I)
34
*DOE reported HS class sizes unreliable