About Us

New Yorkers for Smaller Classes is a coalition of parents, educators, advocates, unions and clergy who have come together to address the continuing crisis of large class size in New York City public schools. The coalition has a long-term commitment to make smaller classes a matter of law, not annual budget dealing.

The coalition was formed in response to widespread concern about large class sizes in New York City’s public schools. Since launching the first phase of our campaign in June 2003, New Yorkers for Smaller Classes has galvanized support across the city to address the urgent issue of class size.

Our Campaign to Reduce Class Size

The first phase was to put a question on the November 2003 general election ballot, asking voters to approve the creation of a City Charter Commission to consider ways to reduce class size. Over the summer, coalition members worked tirelessly to collect signatures from registered New York City voters who agree that lower class sizes improve learning and want the City Charter amended to make smaller classes mandatory. The coalition collected over 115,000 signatures in approximately three months!

Despite the obvious public support, lawyers for the City challenged the inclusion of the Class Size Charter question on the November 2003 ballot. Although the coalition won on constitutional grounds at the State Supreme Court level, we were overruled by the State Appellate Division – the same court that found an 8th grade education was sufficient in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. And the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, refused to reconsider that decision.

Yet the Coalition remained committed to finding ways to make smaller classes in New York City schools a reality. We were influential in getting the City Council to form a commission on the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) and many of our members gave testimony at its hearings. On May 4, 2005, the Coalition launched a petition drive to amend the City Charter to reduce class sizes.

We gathered over 106,000 new signatures, in two phases, to put a charter amendment on the ballot requiring that at least 25 percent of any funds from the CFE decision go to lowering class sizes in the city. Under the amendment, the funds would go to reduce class sizes in our schools to match the public school averages in the rest of the state.

The Mayor placed his own unrelated amendment proposals on the 2005 ballot, automatically “bumping” ours. He then instructed the City Clerk to reject our amendment as “invalid.” The coalition sued, and the issue is now before the courts. If the appeals court decides that New York City voters should be allowed to decide how education funds are spent, a Charter Amendment proposal could be on the November 2007 ballot.

With the final court decision in the CFE case, the Governor and the State Legislature have an extraordinary opportunity: to make sure that NYC public schools receive a significant funding increase so that every child receives a quality education above and beyond the bare minimum floor of $1.93 billion set by the Court of Appeals. The Coalition is fighting to ensure that any additional funds are invested to achieve the classroom conditions necessary to provide our children with a better chance to learn, especially by reducing class sizes in every grade.

For a detailed history, read our Timeline.