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A key architect of a state law that mandates smaller class sizes in New York City indicated he’s open to giving Mayor Zohran Mamdani more time to comply.
State Sen. John Liu, a sponsor of the class size law, said it would be reasonable to extend the timeline from two years to four years before the nation’s largest school system is expected to fully meet the class size caps.
“Mayor Mamdani has been very clear he wants to reduce class sizes in accordance with the mandate,” Liu said. But “both he and the chancellor have suggested that more time and more money may be needed.”
Under the state’s 2022 law, 80% of city classrooms must include no more than 20-25 students, depending on the grade level, by next school year. All classrooms must fall under those caps by the 2027-28 school year. (The teachers union contract allows class sizes up to 34 students in high school classrooms.)
“It would not be unreasonable for the city to commit to a 70%, 80%, 90%, and then 100% timetable,” said Liu, referring to the percentage of classes that would have to comply with the new class size caps in each of the next four school years.
Liu’s comments signal that state lawmakers and city officials may try to tuck tweaks to the class size law into the state budget, which often includes various policy changes and is due April 1. But any alterations are likely to be contentious since the class size policy was a major priority of the city teachers union, which carries significant political clout in Albany.
In a statement on Tuesday, Liu demanded a “clear plan” to shrink class sizes to comply with state law before lawmakers will agree to extend Mamdani’s control over the school system, which expires at the end of June.
The initial state law did not come with dedicated funding to hire thousands of new teachers required to staff smaller classes, which has been a major sticking point with city officials. In a budget proposal released Monday, lawmakers in the state assembly included $600 million to help New York City reduce class sizes. For his part, Mamdani has proposed an extra $543 million in city dollars next year to comply with the mandate.
A rep for City Hall did not respond to questions about whether the mayor supports the timeline Liu outlined. Mamdani voted for the legislation when he was a state lawmaker.
Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, said the union does not support extending the deadline without a road map from the city to ramp up school construction to create more space for smaller classes.
“Only when a real plan and a clear timeline are in place — not the usual School Construction smoke and mirrors — would we have the information necessary to consider whether any amendments are needed,” Mulgrew said in a statement.
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels has previously said he would rather the city more efficiently use existing space, including by merging schools, before investing in new buildings.
City officials have already struggled to meet the mandate’s requirements. This school year, 60% of New York City schools were supposed to meet the new caps — a benchmark that officials met after exempting more than 10,000 classrooms from the class size caps.
Some proponents of reducing class sizes said the city has failed to adequately plan to implement the law and should not be given more time or money without a more detailed proposal.
“I would oppose any additional funding unless the DOE provides an actual, detailed multiyear plan to show how this funding will be used to provide the space and staffing to lower class size and achieve the caps in the law,” said Leonie Haimson, the executive director of Class Size Matters, an advocacy group. “Similarly, I wouldn’t support any extension of the deadlines unless the DOE provides this sort of plan.”
Critics of the law, including State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, have raised concerns that higher-need schools stand to benefit the least from the new class size caps because those campuses already tend to have smaller classes.
Representatives for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins did not reply to questions about whether they support changes to the class size law.
Gov. Kathy Hochul also did not indicate whether she supports any tweaks.
Alex Zimmerman is a reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.
