TESTIMONY
Michael Sill, Assistant Secretary, United Federation of Teachers on Challenges in Implementing the State Class Size Law in NYC
2:29:32
·
7 min
Michael Sill highlights the difficulties encountered in the execution of the state class size law for New York City Schools, criticizing the Department of Education and City Hall for sabotaging its implementation.
- Sill represents over 190,000 members of the United Federation of Teachers, emphasizing that reducing class sizes is mandated by law, not just a recommendation. - He accuses the Department of Education and City Hall of actively preventing the law's effective implementation and providing misleading financial justifications for their inaction. - Despite additional state aid, Mayor Adams has made cuts to school budgets, limiting the potential for smaller class sizes. - Sill offers recommendations to prioritize high-need schools, ensure appropriate funding, and establish a pipeline for recruiting and retaining new teachers.
Michael Sill
2:29:32
My name is Michael Sill, and I proudly serve as the assistant secretary of the United Federation teachers.
2:29:37
On behalf of the unions, more than 190,000 members, I wanna thank the New York City Council's Education Committee, especially you chair Joseph for holding today's public hearing on implementing the state class size law in New York City.
2:29:49
Lowering class sizes in New York City is not an experiment.
2:29:52
It's not an unfunded mandate.
2:29:54
It's not a wish list.
2:29:56
It's the law.
2:29:57
Now since the passage of this law I have served as the UFT's point person, in discussions with the DOE about implementation, and I regret to say I have very little to show for it.
2:30:08
Unfortunately, the DOE and city hall are doing everything everything they can to sabotage these changes and to avoid implementing this law.
2:30:18
As an English teacher, I would teach my students to start with their hypothesis and then provide evidence, provide reasons for why that hypothesis was true.
2:30:26
What we continually hear from the Department of Education is the hypothesis that, yes, this is a great idea.
2:30:32
Now here are all the reasons why it can't work.
2:30:35
That is that was true today and is true in our work with them.
2:30:39
You know, chair Joseph, that one of the most powerful things you can say to a young person is that I see you.
2:30:44
I see you as an individual on your individual journey of self fulfillment of self discovery, of self actualization.
2:30:51
And every teacher in New York City would like to be able to say that to each of their students.
2:30:55
And the class size law gives them the opportunity to do so.
2:30:59
Unfortunately, since coming into office, mayor Adams has repeatedly cut school budgets despite more than $1,600,000,000 in additional occurring state aid to the New York City Schools.
2:31:11
And in public, the deal has been using an alleged lack of funding as a reason for insisting that implementing the class size law will require unacceptable trade offs in our schools.
2:31:22
The trade offs should be happening when the DOE is deciding how they're going to spend their money.
2:31:27
The trade off should not be happening in the schools.
2:31:31
Here's my question.
2:31:32
If the foundation aid is increasing, why hasn't the fair student funding formula changed.
2:31:38
They're continually using scare tactics, including the inflation of the costs associated with this law.
2:31:45
Today, we heard the number $20,000,000,000 to $27,000,000 in capital cost.
2:31:49
That's the first time I've heard that number.
2:31:51
The number I had heard previously was $30,000,000,000 to $35,000,000,000.
2:31:55
I know my time is short, but I hope you let me relay this story.
2:31:58
Right?
2:31:58
When we were working with the DOE and CSA over last summer, It's talking about the plan that ultimately got submitted to the state.
2:32:08
It included that number $30,000,000,000 to $35,000,000,000 in capital costs.
2:32:11
And we started to dig into that number.
2:32:14
And we asked them, what is your methodology for arriving at this number?
2:32:18
You know what we found out?
2:32:20
Number 1.
2:32:20
So they're using enrollment data from 2021, which is fine, whatever.
2:32:24
Like, that's the that was the most recent that they had.
2:32:27
And they said, like, say, you have a school that has a maximum capacity of 400 students.
2:32:31
If that student if that school had 401 students back in 2021, The the SCA said that there's a new school needed to be built for one student.
2:32:42
I asked them like four times, I couldn't believe it.
2:32:44
That doesn't mean that a new school has to be built twice if you have 402 students.
2:32:49
But we what we also found out is you have a collocated schools.
2:32:52
2 schools in the same building, and both of them are over by one student.
2:32:55
Guess what?
2:32:56
2 schools needed to be built.
2:32:58
That's how they got to the 30 to $35,000,000,000 number.
2:33:01
And so I expected the revised number to be an order of magnitude different then at 30 to $35,000,000,000,000, 20 to $27,000,000,000 is obviously an improvement over that, but it's not an upward of magnitude different.
2:33:12
And so I really encourage anyone who has the ability in the authority to look into the methodology of all their cost estimates because I don't believe it.
2:33:21
Alright?
2:33:22
I'm gonna jump ahead in respect for your time.
2:33:25
You've definitely gone over your 4 in a row here today.
2:33:28
Right?
2:33:29
So that's a inside joke.
2:33:31
But in particular, this is what we are hoping that the city council can help us with in urging the DOE mayor Adams to immediately take the following steps.
2:33:41
Right?
2:33:42
1, they need to identify the high need schools that currently have the space to offer students small class sizes.
2:33:49
Right?
2:33:49
We know that they exist.
2:33:51
And they need to prioritize those schools for implementation.
2:33:55
They need to provide additional funding from the city surplus revenue and reserves to ensure that schools do not experience program cuts the the the the like for which they were talking about during the vast majority of their testimony a moment ago.
2:34:08
Right?
2:34:09
They need to act on the recommendations of the class size working group, especially around capital planning for new schools, and this has to include storing and increasing funding for new seats in the capital plan and in the release of information regarding where those seats are going to be.
2:34:24
Right?
2:34:25
And they need to dedicate the additional funding to recruiting and retaining a pipeline of new teachers.
2:34:29
I was heartened to hear the conversation about finding pipelines for students who graduate from New York City public schools and and giving them an opportunity to become teachers here.
2:34:40
Right?
2:34:41
That would be great in having the teach force reflect the the the student body.
2:34:48
I I have concerns about that.
2:34:50
I'm happy to work with them.
2:34:53
Right now, like most of their initiatives or alternative pathways really focus on a master's degree, which as Everybody knows that means you've already gotten to the bachelor's.
2:35:01
And so what kind of support are they giving them there?
2:35:05
We heard that the deal we say in their test money that 2 thirds of the schools in the system have the space right now to meet the requirement.
2:35:12
And they talk about, you know, you have one school right here that has the space or that is over enrolled and you have another school that was under enrolled.
2:35:20
And you you asked the right question.
2:35:21
I thought when you said when you were in your not the question, but in your statement, that just because a school is under enrolled doesn't mean it has small class sizes.
2:35:30
Right?
2:35:30
You need both.
2:35:31
You need the space and you need the budget.
2:35:33
In the way that they work right now is the fewer students you have, the less money you have, and that makes some logical sense, but it doesn't induce any parent to take their student from the over enrolled school to the under enrolled school.
2:35:48
If they would fund those schools that are under enrolled, in a way where they could actually have the lower class sizes, then I bet you'd see a lot of parents leaving those over old schools and going to the under enrolled schools before you even talk about caps.
2:36:02
Right?
2:36:02
And one other thing, and I know I'm way over time, I appreciate your indulgence.
2:36:05
I just want to say that They talk a lot about equity.
2:36:10
Right?
2:36:10
And just like we talked about with a 30 to $35,000,000,000 number, you can use statistics to prove anything.
2:36:15
Right?
2:36:16
When they talk about equity and they say that the highest earning quartile or the highest quartile of schools by median income in those schools would benefit the most.
2:36:30
Because there's so much economic need in this city, when you talk about the highest quartile of of affluence, you're talking about schools where they have up to 70% of students living in poverty.
2:36:43
Right?
2:36:43
It's a shell game.
2:36:45
That is that's a talking point that they continually tried out.
2:36:48
Once again, an example of a reason that does not support the hypothesis that they're trying to implement this law.
2:36:54
Thank you.