Class Size Matter Press Release on C4E Funding

8/14/2019 Class Size Matter Press Release on C4E Funding

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January 5, 2010

Fact sheet on citys failure to reduce class size

In April 2007, the state approved new legislation to settle the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) lawsuit. Calledthe Contracts for Excellence (C4E), this program has provided the city approximately $1.5 billion in additionalstate funding over the last three years. In return, the city was supposed to spend these funds on approvedprograms, including a plan to reduce class sizes in all grades.

This was necessary since the states highest court found that classes were too large in NYC schools to providestudents with their constitutional right to an adequate education. The C4E program was also supposed toprovide enhanced transparency and accountability, with comprehensive public input and reportingrequirements.

What happened

As part of its C4E plan, the state approved the citys five-year class size reduction plan in November 2007.This plan called for the city to reduce class to no more than 19.9 students per class on average in grades K-322.9 students per class in all other grades, to be achieved by 2011-2012. 1 Later, this was amended to 24.5students per class in core academic high school classes. As a result, $258 million in Contract for Excellencefunds were awarded the city, with $153 million of those funds specifically allotted towards creating smaller classes. 2

In April 2008, a report commissioned by the UFT was released, showing that in nearly half of the elementaryand middle schools that had received funds meant for class size reduction, class sizes were not lowered, andin 34 percent of these schools, class sizes increased. While average class sizes did decrease by a fractionalamount citywide by one-tenth of a student in K-3 schools and six-tenths of a student in grades 4-8 classsizes were almost as likely to increase as to decrease in the highest needs schools .3

1

NYC Department of Education, N EW YORK C ITY FIVE YEAR CLASS -S IZE R EDUCTION PLAN Update November 8, 2007, athttp://eservices.nysed.gov/c4e-public/reports/2007/otherreports/NYCDOE%20CSRP%205YR_11%208%2007_FINAL.doc . Later this plan was revised in January 27, 2009 to specify high school classes in core subjects to achieve average class sizes of 24.5 bythe 2011-12 school year. See DOE, Chart 5: FY09 C4E Class Size Baseline and Projections athttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5C60C0BA-F6E4-456E-8762-CAF02609E69E/66528/5FY09C4ESchoolListClassSizeprojectionsSummary.pdf

2 NYSED press release, CONTRACTS FOR EXCELLENCE APPROVED FOR 55 SCHOOL DISTRICTS, November 19, 2007 .http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/C4ERelease.htm

3 See United Federation of Teachers, DOE flouts state class-size reduction mandates, athttp://www.uft.org/news/issues/press/state-mandated_class_size/ and John Tapper, Class Size and the Contract for Excellence : Are we making progress in NYCs public schools? April 28, 2008;http://www.uft.org/news/issues/press/contract_for_excellence.pdf . See also scatterplot graph at end of this document.

1
http://eservices.nysed.gov/c4e-public/reports/2007/otherreports/NYCDOE%20CSRP%205YR_11%208%2007_FINAL.dochttp://eservices.nysed.gov/c4e-public/reports/2007/otherreports/NYCDOE%20CSRP%205YR_11%208%2007_FINAL.dochttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5C60C0BA-F6E4-456E-8762-CAF02609E69E/66528/5FY09C4ESchoolListClassSizeprojectionsSummary.pdfhttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5C60C0BA-F6E4-456E-8762-CAF02609E69E/66528/5FY09C4ESchoolListClassSizeprojectionsSummary.pdfhttp://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/C4ERelease.htmhttp://www.uft.org/news/issues/press/state-mandated_class_size/http://www.uft.org/news/issues/press/contract_for_excellence.pdfhttp://www.uft.org/news/issues/press/contract_for_excellence.pdfhttp://eservices.nysed.gov/c4e-public/reports/2007/otherreports/NYCDOE%20CSRP%205YR_11%208%2007_FINAL.dochttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5C60C0BA-F6E4-456E-8762-CAF02609E69E/66528/5FY09C4ESchoolListClassSizeprojectionsSummary.pdfhttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5C60C0BA-F6E4-456E-8762-CAF02609E69E/66528/5FY09C4ESchoolListClassSizeprojectionsSummary.pdfhttp://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/C4ERelease.htmhttp://www.uft.org/news/issues/press/state-mandated_class_size/http://www.uft.org/news/issues/press/contract_for_excellence.pdf


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In September 2008, the State Education Department confirmed these findings, and concluded that the city hadfailed to make any of its class size reduction goals. 4 More specifically, the State found that class size and/or pupil-to-teacher ratio had increased in 54 percent of schools, and in seventy schools that received over nearly$20 million in class size reduction funds, both class sizes and student/teacher ratio increased. The state alsosaid that the city would be required to improve implementation of the second year of its class size plan .(emphasis added.) 5

In the summer of 2008, New York City submitted a proposal for $378 million in additional Contract for Excellence funding to be spent during the 2008-9 school year over the previous years amount, with $146million specifically earmarked for class size reduction. The C4E funding from the year before was to becontinued for the same purposes.

Yet rather than making the necessary improvements, the citys compliance considerably worsened thefollowing school year , with the result being the largest increases in class size in ten years. Significantincreases occurred in all grades, except for fourth. The increases in grades K-3 were so large as to wipe outnearly five years of gradual improvement.

Of the 765 schools that received nearly $150 million in class size reduction funding, 47 percent lowered classsize, two percent saw no change, and in 48 percent of these schools, class sizes increased . In other words,

schools that received class size reduction funding were more likely to raise class size than to lower it.6

(See the scatterplots in the appendix, showing this finding graphically by school.) 7

Why? Despite the infusion of millions of state funds meant to form new classes, there were 143 fewer classesin grades K-3 and 183 fewer classes in grades 4-8 th than the year before. 8 According to a recent analysis inthe New York Times, while the number of out-of-classroom positions has grown by over 10,000 in the cityspublic schools since 2002, the number of classroom teachers has shrunk by more than 1600 .9

On September 9, 2009 the City Comptroller released a new audit, showing that the city had misused millions of dollars in funds meant for smaller classes in its Early Grade class size reduction program. The DOE hadpromised the state that this program would remain unchanged, as part of its Contract for Excellence Plan, andthat the Department continues to be committed to reducing class size in early grades via the Early

Grade Class Size Reduction program." 10

4 See NY State Education Department, State Education Department Complete Contracts for Excellence Monitoring; Vast Majority of Districts Implemented Contract Provisions, but Exceptions Must be Corrected, Sept. 15, 2008; also NYSED, Contracts for ExcellenceMonitoring Report, Sept. 8, 2008, http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/C4EMonitoring.htm andhttp://www.regents.nysed.gov/2008Meetings/September2008/0908emscd4.htm5 SED also said that by October 15, 2008, NYC would have to submit certified audit reports that show that systems are in place toseparately track receipt and spending of Contract for Excellence funding for purposes of assessing that contract funding is targeted toschools consistent with the approved Contract and that the increase in total foundation aid and supplemental improvement plan grantshave been used to supplement and not supplant funds allocated by the district in the previous year.

6

In Kindergarten, average class sizes grew larger than they were in 2003. More than 66,000 of K-3 students -- or 25 percent -- werein classes of 25 students or more, an increase of more than 11,000 students compared to the previous year. There was also a 36 percent jump in the number of students in grades 1-3 in classes over 28. About 40 percent of middle school students, and about half of high school students remained in classes of thirty students or more.7

8 Indeed, despite nearly a billion dollars in additional funds provided the city to form additional classes to reduce class size since 2000,at first through the states Early Grade Class Size Reduction program and then through the Contracts for Excellence, there has been adecline of nearly 2,000 classes in grades K-8. See Table 3. These figures are derived from earlier analyses from the IndependentBudget Office and more recently, from NYC DOE figures. High school data is unavailable, since the Independent Budget Officenever reported on HS data and to this day, the data provided by DOE in their class size reports for high schools are unreliable.

9 NY Times, With More Money, City Schools Added Jobs, June 30, 2009.2
http://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/C4EMonitoring.htmhttp://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/C4EMonitoring.htmhttp://www.regents.nysed.gov/2008Meetings/September2008/0908emscd4.htmhttp://www.oms.nysed.gov/press/C4EMonitoring.htmhttp://www.regents.nysed.gov/2008Meetings/September2008/0908emscd4.htm


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Yet in its formal response to the audit, the Department of Education responded that the Early grade classsize reduction program no longer exists .11

In the fall of 2009, class sizes again increased in all grades, by the largest amounts in eleven years, despitecontinued funding from the state over the baseline in 2006-7 of $645.3 million, with about half of thatearmarked for class size reduction. Kindergarten class sizes are now larger than they have been at any timesince 1999-2000 school year, and class sizes in grades 1-3 are larger than at any time since 2001-2. (Seecharts and table following.)

Clearly, the city has reneged on its promise to the state to reduce class size.

Conclusion: whats wrong with what the DOE has done

From the beginning, the city failed to allocate any funds centrally towards reducing class size, and establishedno specific class size targets at specific schools, except for a list of 75 priority schools. Even in these schools,the DOE made no effort to reach its targets and failed to do so in more than half. 12 See, for example BeachChannel HS, (chart follows) which the DOE now proposes to close and where class sizes have increaseddramatically over the last two years, despite the citys pledge to reduce them.

The DOE has also failed to provide the overall direction, support and oversight to ensure that these funds areused in schools according to their purpose, and has refused to align its capital plan with its class size plan, asrequired by law. Despite all the hundreds of millions meant for class size reduction, about 800 fewer classeswere provided this year than in 2007-8.

Charts follow, summarizing the citys five year class size targets and the actual class sizes in our schools, aswell as the citys utter failure over the last three years to use these funds according to law.

Smaller classes continue to be the top priority of parents, according to the DOE's own surveys. This is nosurprise, considering our students are crammed into the largest classes in the state. The DOE and theChancellor have committed fraud on NYC children by refusing to provide them with the smaller classes, thatthe state's highest court said would be necessary for them to receive their constitutional right to an adequateeducation. They are also violating the trust of taxpayers, by failing to use hundreds of millions of dollars for thecritical purpose they were intended.

Average class sizes K-8 over time, compared to citys C4E goals

10 NYC DOE, NEW YORK CITY FIVE YEAR CLASS-SIZE REDUCTION PLAN Update November 24, 2008; p. 5, posted athttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/3F12A337-2FAF-492B-AEBB-59509284098A/0/NYCDOECSRP5YR_YR2_FINAL.pdf Seealso NYC C omptroller, Audit report on the Department of Educations Administration of the Early grade class size reduction

program, fm09-113a , September 9, 20 09. For more on this, see NYC Public School Parent blog, Class size audit: another broken promise to our children , Sept. 11, 2009.11 Daily News, Space crunch keeps kids at home, bussed elsewhere, as packed classes begin in city, Sept. 10, 2009; WNYC radio,Comptroller Says DOE Didn't Use All Funds for Smaller Class Sizes, Sept. 9. 2009.

12 See NYC DOE, Chart 6, Class Size Reduction Targets for 75 Low Performing Schools with Largest Class Size, Class Size Reduction plan, updated January 27, 2009; posted at http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9C8F083F-8957-469D-94C4-C5A5A724F6DF/0/NYCDOECSRP5YR_YR2_FINAL_Chart6.pdf

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http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/3F12A337-2FAF-492B-AEBB-59509284098A/0/NYCDOECSRP5YR_YR2_FINAL.pdfhttp://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2009/09/class-size-audit-another-broken-promise.htmlhttp://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2009/09/class-size-audit-another-broken-promise.htmlhttp://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2009/09/class-size-audit-another-broken-promise.htmlhttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/3F12A337-2FAF-492B-AEBB-59509284098A/0/NYCDOECSRP5YR_YR2_FINAL.pdfhttp://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2009/09/class-size-audit-another-broken-promise.htmlhttp://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2009/09/class-size-audit-another-broken-promise.html


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Average class size grades K-3

18.5

19

19.5

20

20.5

21

21.5

22

22.5

B a s e

l i n e

2 0 0 7

- 8

2 0 0 8

- 9

2 0 0 9

- 1 0

2 0 1 0

- 2 0 1

1

2 0 1 1

- 2 0 1

2

c h i l d r e n

p e r c

l a s s

C4E target

citywide actual

Class size grades 4-8

2122

2324

2526

27

B a s e

l i n e

2 0 0 7

- 8

2 0 0 8

- 9

2 0 0 9

- 1 0

2 0 1 0

- 2 0 1

1

2 0 1 1

- 2 0 1

2

children per class

C4E target

citywide actual

4


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HS average class size in core academic classes.

2323.5

2424.5

2525.526

26.527

Baseline 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

C4E targets

Actual

c

Beach Channel HSgeneral ed class sizes

20

22

24

26

28

30

baseline 2007-8 2008-9 2009-2010

actual

C4E targets

5


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Percent of NYC students in very large classes over time

Percent Kindergarten studentsin classes of 25 or more

14 1423

17

2721.5 22.8

27.9

19.1

34.1

0

10

2030

40

Brook Man Queens Staten I Bronx

2008

2009

Percent K-8 students in classes 25 or more

26 30.333.5 38.1

58.9 6175.9

80.885.4

01020304050607080

90

K 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th

2007

2008

2009

Percent of HS students in classes of 34 or more

15 14.5 15.816.5

21.6 21.223.4

24.8

05

10

15

20

25

30

English math science soc sci

2008

2009

6


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Class sizes K-3 by borough

18.0

19.0

20.0

21.0

22.023.0

24.0

B a s e

l i n e

2 0 0 7

- 8

2 0 0 8

- 9

2 0 0 9

- 1 0

2 0 1 0

- 2 0 1

1

2 0 1 1

- 2 0 1

2

C4E target

citywide actual

brooklyn

bronx

manhattan

queens

staten I.

Average class size, grades K-8, 1998-2009.(data from IBO 1998-2005; DOE 2006-2009)

1998-

91999-

002000-

12001-

22002-

32003-

42004-

52005-

62006-

7 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10K 23.8 22.4 21.5 21.1 20.7 20.9 20.7 20.9 20.7 20.6 20.8 21.71 25.2 23.3 22.3 22.0 21.7 21.6 21.6 21.1 21.3 21.1 21.3 222 25.0 23.4 22.6 22.3 21.8 21.6 21.2 21.1 21.0 21.1 21.4 22.23 25.5 23.8 23.1 23.0 22.4 22.1 21.5 21.5 21.2 21 21.9 22.54 27.5 27.0 26.4 25.9 25.4 24.5 24.2 23.9 23.8 23.5 23.8 24.35 28.2 27.6 27.2 27.3 26.9 26.3 26 25.4 24.9 24.1 24.2 24.76 27.7 27.3 27.3 27.7 27.4 26.9 26.6 26.2 25.7 25.5 25.7 267 28.4 27.9 28.0 28.2 28.0 28.2 27.8 27.1 27.0 26.2 26.5 26.78 28.9 27.8 27.5 28.0 27.8 28.0 27.8 27.2 27.1 26.6 26.8 27.5

TOTAL 26.5 25.3 24.7 24.7 24.4 24.2 23.9 23.6 23.6 23.3 23.6 23.9

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Scatterplot by school,showing the citys failure to use the C4E funds appropriately.

Each dot represents one of the 347 schools that received C4E funding to reduce class sizes in 2008-9.Only those schools that were funded to create additional classrooms are shown here. These graphs reveal thatschools that received these funds were just as likely to have increased as decreased class size.

Data sources: Class size averages from NYC DOE, Class Size Reports, posted at http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/data/classsize/classsize.htm

Annual CSR targets from DOE, Chart 5: FY09 C4E Class Size Baseline and Projections, Updated January 27, 2009 at http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5C60C0BA-F6E4-456E-8762-CAF02609E69E/66528/5FY09C4ESchoolListClassSizeprojectionsSummary.pdf

C4E spending allocations by school for 2008-9; posted at http://eservices.nysed.gov/c4e-public/actions/allNYC.do

75 priority schools for CSR including Beach Channel HS; see NYC DOE, Updated Five Year Class Size Reduction Plan,dated November 24, 2008 , Chart 6:Class Size Reduction Targets for 75 Low Performing Schools with Largest ClassSize; posted at http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9C8F083F-8957-469D-94C4-C5A5A724F6DF/0/NYCDOECSRP5YR_YR2_FINAL_Chart6.pdf

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http://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/data/classsize/classsize.htmhttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5C60C0BA-F6E4-456E-8762-CAF02609E69E/66528/5FY09C4ESchoolListClassSizeprojectionsSummary.pdfhttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5C60C0BA-F6E4-456E-8762-CAF02609E69E/66528/5FY09C4ESchoolListClassSizeprojectionsSummary.pdfhttp://eservices.nysed.gov/c4e-public/actions/allNYC.dohttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9C8F083F-8957-469D-94C4-C5A5A724F6DF/0/NYCDOECSRP5YR_YR2_FINAL_Chart6.pdfhttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9C8F083F-8957-469D-94C4-C5A5A724F6DF/0/NYCDOECSRP5YR_YR2_FINAL_Chart6.pdfhttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9C8F083F-8957-469D-94C4-C5A5A724F6DF/0/NYCDOECSRP5YR_YR2_FINAL_Chart6.pdfhttp://schools.nyc.gov/AboutUs/data/classsize/classsize.htmhttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5C60C0BA-F6E4-456E-8762-CAF02609E69E/66528/5FY09C4ESchoolListClassSizeprojectionsSummary.pdfhttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5C60C0BA-F6E4-456E-8762-CAF02609E69E/66528/5FY09C4ESchoolListClassSizeprojectionsSummary.pdfhttp://eservices.nysed.gov/c4e-public/actions/allNYC.dohttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9C8F083F-8957-469D-94C4-C5A5A724F6DF/0/NYCDOECSRP5YR_YR2_FINAL_Chart6.pdfhttp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9C8F083F-8957-469D-94C4-C5A5A724F6DF/0/NYCDOECSRP5YR_YR2_FINAL_Chart6.pdf

Documents

Class Size Matter Press Release on C4E Funding