UFT celebrates class size milestone

All incoming 6th-graders at IS 145 in Jackson Heights, Queens, joined classes of 23 students this September, bringing that grade into full compliance with the new limits in the state class size law.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew, parent leaders and local and state elected officials gathered outside IS 145 on Sept. 4 to say that what the neighborhood school has accomplished is a blueprint for schools citywide.

With the school's principal and more than 50 teachers gathered behind him, Mulgrew called IS 145 a great example of collaboration among teachers, administrators and families to reduce class sizes.

"We are now clearly on the road moving forward to make sure that all the children of New York City get what the rest of the children in the state have, which is lower class sizes," he said.

More than 600 schools citywide have enough space right now to lower their class sizes to the new caps, Mulgrew said.

The four IS 145 teachers who spoke at the event said students benefit from smaller classes as educators have the opportunity to give their students more individualized attention, address their social-emotional needs, and build safe and trusting learning environments.

"You can ask any teacher if this is a good idea and 100% of teachers will say yes," said Marlyn Rios, a speech teacher and the school's chapter leader. "Small classroom sizes allow for better learning, period."

The 2022 state law requires New York City public schools to reduce class sizes to a maximum of 20 in kindergarten through 3rd grade, 23 for grades 4-8, and 25 for high school by September 2028. The city easily met the 20% mark in the 2022-23 school year, the first year of the five-year phase-in, and is on track to meet the required 40% threshold this year. But years three, four and five will be more challenging.

The DOE at first resisted implementing the law because of the cost of hiring new teachers and increasing space in certain schools. After intense lobbying by UFT members in the spring, state lawmakers adopted a budget that authorizes withholding state education aid for New York City if schools do not receive adequate city funding to comply with the state law.

IS 145 reorganized some classrooms and hired new teachers to accommodate the smaller class sizes for incoming 6th-graders this year, the principal and teachers said. The 7th-grade classes will come into compliance in 2025-26 and the 8th grade in 2026-27.

Principal Ivan Rodriguez said IS 145 started the planning process at a school leadership team meeting in the spring. Members reviewed the issues of space, staffing and money; asked for input from families; and met with administrators from feeder schools.

Teachers thanked Rodriguez for leading an inclusive process. "Everyone had a voice," said Mary Genova, a 6th-grade social studies teacher and a school leadership team member.

Whitney Toussaint, the co-president of the District 30 Community Education Council, said she is hopeful that IS 45's success "will reverberate, and schools across the city will get the budgetary support that they need to implement it."

Christina Hernandez, a special education teacher in an integrated co-teaching class, said smaller classes will help students.

"If I were a parent of a child with an IEP that mandated an ICT setting, this is the size class that I would want my child to be in," she said.

"We're all passionate about what we do and the children that we serve," she added, "and we know that this class size mandate is really going to propel us forward."

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