A group of New York City parents made an eleventh-hour plea Friday for Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto a mayoral control bill and a law shrinking public school class sizes that have both passed the s💞tate le🎐gislature.
Protesters gathered outside the governor’s Manhattan office and held signs with slogans like, “All parents deserve real representation” and “Mayoral control, not controlled mayor!!”
The group of around a dozen advocates blasted the bills — introduced and passed last week –including one reducing class sizes that they fear will hinder access to coveted rigorous academic programs, such as the Gifted and Talented classes.
Parent advocate Yiatin Chu of PLACE NYC and Asian Wave Alliance said th🌠e class sizes in these𝕴 programs are some of the largest in the city.
“So if this class size mandate is signed into law, what do you think is going to happen to Gifted and Talented, specialized high schools and AP courses?” she said.
Gifted and Talented classes were on average larger ꦿthan general education classes in elementary school this school year, except for in the first grade, according to a Post analysis of city data showed.
At Bronx Science, one of the city’s eight specialized high schools, average class size ranged 32 to 34 students in English and 31 to 34 in math this school year. The numbers for Stuyvesant High School ranged from 26 to 31 students in English and 31 to 33 in math.
“They’re bursting at the seams because kids want them for college credits, or want to be shown on their records taking the most demanding courses their school offers,” said Kaushik Das, co-chair of the Admissions & Diversity Committee in Community Education Council District 2.
But if signed into law by the governor, high school classes would be capped at 25 students. Fourth through eighth grade would be capped at 23 students and k🌟indergarten through third grade classes would be capped at 20 students.
“Small class size sounds good, we all can agree,” said Sammy Ravelo, a parent who ran for Bronx Borough President, including on a . “But does that really guarantee a good education?”
Reducing class si𝓡zes is a popular initiative among teachers and many families, who when asked by the ci𒆙ty Department of Education, frequently ranked it among their top three priorities, surveys showed.
In a meeting with Queens parents🃏 on Thursday night, State Sen. John Liu, who introduced the class size legislation, pushed back against claims that it would lead to cutbacks for other school pri📖orities.
Mayor Eric Adams and his Schools Chancellor David Banks had spent the days leading up to the bill’s passage last week warning of its fiscal impact on other education programs, from school safety measures to dyslexia screenings.
“I’ve spoken with the chancellor, I don’t think his characterization of this as an unfunded mandate or a mandate that’s going to take money away from revered and cherished programs is the right way to do it,” Liu said. “I think it’s a false choice, and we shouldn’t fall for that false choice.”
He also said the state could revisit its latest approach to school governance iไn coming y🐼ears.
Under theﷺ bill approved by Albany legislators last week, Adams would get just a two-year extension of control over the city’s schools, with new strings attached.
The two bills have ye🔴t to be d𝓡elivered to Hochul for her signature.
Governors have traditionally waited until the end of the year to decide how to re🍸spond to most of the hundreds of bills that typically reach their desk each year.
Hochul has demonstrate🐬d a particular eagerness over the past year to avoid vetos by negotiating changes with state lawmakers called chapter amendments, w꧟hich must be approved by the Legislature the following year.
“Governor Hochul has consistently supported extending mayoral control and we are reviewing the final bills passed by the legislature,” said Hazel Crampton-Hays, a spokesperson for the governor.
Additional reporting by Zach Williams
