My frustrating Thursday: DOE's evasions and the Mayor's refusal to reduce class size or admit that he ever said that he would
Me asking the Mayor about class size in Jackson Heights on Thursday night.
For other accounts, see reports of the Mayor's Town hall at ChalkbeatNY and the Daily News.
On Thursday I attended two events -- first in the morning at a briefing on Renewal Schools at City Hall and later that evening, a Town hall meeting in Queens with Mayor de Blasio.
The City Hall briefing consisted of a long power point from Aimee Horowitz, the Executive Superintendent of the Renewal school program and Chris Caruso, Executive Director of Community Schools. For more than an hour we listened to all the various programs and services that are planned, with no mention of reducing class size in either presentation.
On Thursday I attended two events -- first in the morning at a briefing on Renewal Schools at City Hall and later that evening, a Town hall meeting in Queens with Mayor de Blasio.
The City Hall briefing consisted of a long power point from Aimee Horowitz, the Executive Superintendent of the Renewal school program and Chris Caruso, Executive Director of Community Schools. For more than an hour we listened to all the various programs and services that are planned, with no mention of reducing class size in either presentation.
Finally I got a chance to speak. I asked Ms. Horowitz: "In which renewal schools are class sizes reduced this fall, to what levels, what resources and strategies are being used, and how was the list of schools selected?"
My question followed from the DOE claim to the state last December and again this fall, in their Contract for Excellence presentations, that they would be focusing their "Class Size Reduction planning efforts on the School Renewal Program." This was a repeat of questions that CEC members and I have been asking DOE officials for months; without any response. We already have heard of several Renewal schools this year where class sizes have risen to 27 students per class in Kindergarten, 31 in 1st grade and 35 or more students in high school.
Ms. Horowitz replied that there was no separate list of Renewal schools slated for class size reduction, and that all 94 schools were expected to lower class size by use of their increased Fair Student funding and help with "programming." When I asked if that meant we should see smaller classes in all of these schools when the data is released on Monday, she nodded yes, but then said "proper class sizes." I followed up with an email asking her what she means by "proper class sizes", but I am not hopeful of a substantive reply.
Later that evening, I attended the Town hall meeting in Jackson Heights where Mayor de Blasio fielded questions about NYC Public School Parents: My frustrating Thursday: DOE's evasions and the Mayor's refusal to reduce class size or admit that he ever said that he would: