NYC Public School Parents: A disaster in the making: what will happen to class size if the mayor's cuts go through?

NYC Public School Parents: A disaster in the making: what will happen to class size if the mayor's cuts go through?

A disaster in the making: what will happen to class size if the mayor's cuts go through?

by Leonie Haimson

There's a good quote from Ann Kjellberg in today's NY Times about the mayor's proposed slash and burn budget cuts to schools: "We feel like pawns in his political struggles,” said Ann Kjellberg, a schools advocate and the mother of a fourth grader. “He said he needs $300 million to save these jobs, and $300 million seems like an amount you could find if you looked hard.”

However, we should keep in mind that the goal must be to avert the elimination of 6,000 plus teaching positions --not merely to prevent 4,000 layoffs; as it is this larger figure, eight percent of the teaching force, that has a direct effect on