TESTIMONY
Amy Tsai, Member of the Public on Overcrowding in NYC Public Schools and Call for Effective Class Size Reduction
3:56:46
·
3 min
Amy Tsai highlights the need for effective class size reduction in the NYC public school system, particularly in the Bronx Northwest Community School District 10.
- Tsai, a parent of five in the NYC public school system, raises concerns about overcrowding and its effects on students.
- She describes firsthand witnessing of crowded classrooms and limited resources in schools, resulting in inadequate academic and emotional support for students.
- Tsai emphasizes the challenge of addressing the academic and emotional needs of a diverse student body, including those with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and English language learners.
- She urges the NYC council to ensure laws aimed at reducing class size are effectively implemented, stressing the importance of small classes for better student-teacher interaction and overall student well-being.
- Tsai ends by calling for accountability in implementing class size reduction measures, specifically mentioning the needs of children with special requirements.
Amy Tsai
3:56:46
Can you hear me?
3:56:48
Yes.
3:56:50
Thank you so much, chair, Joseph, and members of the community on education committee on education.
3:56:56
My name is Amy Tsai.
3:56:57
I am 1st and foremost the parent of the Bronx Northwest Community School District 10.
3:57:02
I am a member on the Community Education Council district 10, and also a mom of 5 who are all currently in the New York City public school system.
3:57:12
They all rain from elementary, middle school in the Bronx, Ammon, Patton.
3:57:18
I have 3 children with at the ability in several different school settings.
3:57:23
I would like to just express first as my role and my responsibility as a member of the CDC, I come from a district that has 63 schools.
3:57:32
On top of that, Department of Education has added more charter co locations in this district.
3:57:38
There is more public housing that is not for the community members, industry 10, but more for the other districts to come in and move into my district.
3:57:47
Therefore, there's no empty lots to build or extend schools to really provide the overcrowding in my district in the northwest Bronx.
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The world of bronze is the most vulnerable community.
3:58:01
We don't have the funds in our school.
3:58:03
Our parent associations are struggling.
3:58:05
Our principles are struggling for proof of air student funding.
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You know, this is a struggle we have been talking about to reduce class size for more than a decade.
3:58:15
We know that we are witnesses to smaller classrooms really work for our students and for our communities.
3:58:21
Personally, from my 5 children, I have seen classrooms where I volunteered where there was 32 to 35 kids in the class with one teacher or 2 teachers for ICT, still not enough because we are the highest district in the Bronx with IEPs and students with English language learners.
3:58:40
Therefore, for a teacher to teach academic needs to all those students on top of managing emotions, behaviors, making sure students are eating, having a physical activity for 30 minutes a day in school is still not enough.
3:58:54
It just sounds exhausting, and it's just insane for me to imagine that we continue to increase the amount of students in the classroom and yet don't address overcrowding in districts like mine.
3:59:07
I wanna mention that social emotional and physically conditions of our students is really important and we've seen that.
3:59:14
1 to 1 the tension from a teacher or small groups really benefit both teachers and faculty and students.
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And as a result of parents being able to take care of their children while they're at work or other.
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I really want to ask the city council to make sure that the laws that are been passed by our state legislators, we are very thankful for that, but it is the responsibility now for the city hall and department education to implement what is in place for the law.
3:59:45
Again, I have children with special needs, and they are not compliant.
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This DOE is not compliant to their services right now.
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And therefore, we know that it is really something that the DOE need to do in the next 4 years,
Shekar Krishnan
3:59:59
the
Amy Tsai
3:59:59
class size law to make sure that there is a class reduction.
4:00:03
Therefore, thank you for the accountability and hope that the mayor is doing what it does because he echoes get stuff done.
4:00:10
So therefore, this priority need to get done.
4:00:12
Thank you so much.