Coalition Gathers 70,000 Signatures Demanding Charter Change to Reduce Class Sizes

July 8, 2005 — A coalition of groups representing parents, civic organizations, labor unions and educators today presented the City Clerk’s office with petitions containing over 70,000 signatures –  more than twice the number needed – calling for a change to the City Charter to require smaller class sizes in New York City public schools.

The petitions, circulated by New Yorkers for Smaller Classes, ask that the Charter be changed to require that at least 25% of the money from the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case be spent to reduce the number of students in all classes grades K through 12.

Lillian Rodriguez-Lopez, President of the Hispanic Federation and Chair of New Yorkers for Smaller Classes, said, “We’ve known all along that New Yorkers desperately want smaller classes for children in our public schools. The signatures on petitions from all five boroughs confirm this. We’re also pleased that this week Speaker Miller reaffirmed his commitment to small class sizes and we call upon him and the rest of the council to enact this charter change.”

Randi Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers, said, “Small class sizes, along with qualified teachers and a laser focus on low-performing schools are the key ingredients to improving student performance. We must make sure that a significant amount of the court-ordered money for city schools goes to reducing class sizes.”

Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters, said, “The voices of parents and teachers won’t be stilled until we achieve what we know is necessary to give our children a better chance to learn -- smaller classes in all grades. More than 70,000 New Yorkers join us in spirit here today, to ask the City Council to pass this charter amendment into law, so that no matter who is elected Mayor in November, our children are provided with the same opportunity to succeed that children in the rest of the state already receive.”

Coalition members were joined by Councilmember Robert Jackson, who was founder and lead plaintiff in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity v. State of New York lawsuit.  According to Councilmember Jackson, “The reason we sued the state in the first place was to give children in New York City the same educational opportunities that students outside the city have.  New York City students deserve the same small class sizes that provide an educational advantage to children in the rest of the state.”

The coalition announced the results of its petition drive on the steps of City Hall. Coalition members then carried the petitions to the office of City Clerk Victor Robles.

New York City has the largest class sizes in the state, exceeding statewide averages by 10% to 60%, depending on grade level and the subject. Last September, the UFT filed more than 11,000 grievances for classes that exceeded limits of 34 in a class. More than 10,000 of those classes were in high schools.

At least 32 states and some localities have class size reduction programs or limit class size by law, including Texas, Tennessee, California, and North Carolina,. In 2002, Florida voters amended their state constitution to require smaller classes in all grades. 

Because New York City is governed by its charter, the coalition wants to change the charter to require class sizes that are comparable to those in the rest of the state, which average 18 to 22 students, and make sure that at least one-fourth of the $5 billion in court-mandated CFE money goes toward smaller classes.

To amend the charter, the coalition had to gather at least 30,000 valid signatures and present them to the clerk’s office. Jerry H. Goldfeder, the lawyer for New Yorkers for Smaller Classes, said the City Council can make the Charter Change on its own, or put the proposed Charter amendment on the ballot. If the Council fails to act within two months, the coalition can put the question on the November ballot by submitting an additional 15,000 signatures in September.

Mayor Bloomberg, who has created a Charter Revision Commission, could try to “bump” the class size question off the ballot. If he does, under state law, the class size question would automatically go on the ballot in 2006, Goldfeder said.