QUESTION
How is the Department of Education consulting on and planning to reduce class size?
0:43:49
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155 sec
The Department of Education consults with current practitioners, including teachers and representatives, to work towards reducing class size, in line with state laws mandating specific numerical caps.
- Formal consultations with educators have occurred as part of the class size working group.
- Informal consultations include countless conversations with educators at all levels across the city.
- The department aims to avoid unintended consequences while striving to meet the goal of reduced class sizes.
- Transparency about the requirements and implications of reducing class sizes is emphasized, including financial and educational decisions.
- The Department of Education expresses a unanimous goal of reducing class sizes, viewing it as beneficial for students' learning experiences.
Rita C. Joseph
0:43:49
So Have you consulted with programmers and other school based staff on how effectively reduce class size with current staff and students?
0:43:59
If so, how are you using these recommendations?
0:44:01
Prepare for the upcoming years?
0:44:03
You're in compliance now?
0:44:04
What does the out years look like?
Dan Weisberg
0:44:09
So we have consulted formally as part of the class i's working group with practitioners, current practitioners, including Prince including teachers, including representatives, and informally in innumerable conversations with people at all levels, educators at all levels, and all parts of the city.
0:44:28
And some of this was initiated by us, chair.
0:44:31
Some of it and much of it is initiated by the people in the field who care about this issue and care about the goals.
0:44:36
Let let me say right at the top.
0:44:38
We share this goal.
0:44:41
The goal that is embedded in this legislation and this statute, I shouldn't say legislation and this statute because it is the law of of the of the state, is the right goal.
0:44:52
The specific numerical caps are the right goals.
0:44:56
No question.
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We share it.
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Chancellor talks about all the time.
0:44:59
Who would be against smaller class sizes as a parent, I will say?
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You go into a school that you're looking at for your child, one of the first things you're gonna look at, and it's not just me.
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This is parents across.
Rita C. Joseph
0:45:09
This is the same.
Dan Weisberg
0:45:09
First thing you're gonna look at is are the class sizes too big, so my child is gonna get lost in a sauce.
0:45:15
It's gonna fall through the cracks.
0:45:16
This is a legitimate, absolutely Merratory is concerned.
0:45:21
We share we share the goal 100%.
0:45:23
You heard that from Doctor Kirkland.
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You heard that from deputy chancellor, Vadera.
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You heard that from president Kabota.
0:45:30
The question is, you know, what we are doing is just making sure that there are no unintended consequences that we drive towards this goal and that we're very honest and transparent.
0:45:40
What we don't wanna have happen is implement this law, which gets much more difficult in year 3, 4, and 5, have all kinds of ramifications of the kind that Doctor Kirkland was talking about and parents saying to us, why didn't you talk to us about this?
0:45:54
Why don't you tell us this was coming?
0:45:56
The law didn't mandate us to set up the class size working group.
0:45:59
That was something the chancellor wanted to do in order to get the
Rita C. Joseph
0:46:02
kids sweat the table to make sure that it's done.
0:46:05
We wanna make sure you get it right as well.
Dan Weisberg
0:46:07
So so what so I wanna be clear.
0:46:09
We share the goal.
0:46:11
We want to get there.
0:46:12
We also wanna be very clear and transparent about what it's going to take to get there.
0:46:17
And that's not just financially.
0:46:19
That's the kind of decisions that have to be made by educators in the field in order to get to compliance.