TESTIMONY
Paullette Healy on Class Size Mandates and Infrastructure Needs in NYC Schools
4:04:36
·
5 min
Paullette Healy, a member of the public and District 75 parent, highlights the need for class size mandates and school infrastructure reforms in NYC.
- Emphasizes the positive impact of smaller class sizes on student services and support post-COVID.
- Discusses the discovery of 'hidden gem' schools with strong programs due to better distribution of students.
- Calls for accountability from the Department of Education for teacher shortages caused by austerity cuts.
- Advocates for a recalculation of the space utilization formula to better reflect classroom capacity and ensure appropriate spaces for therapy sessions.
- Requests protections for D75 collocated programs potentially affected by class size mandates.
Paullette Healy
4:04:36
Hi, Jared Joseph.
4:04:37
Thank you so much for holding this hearing.
4:04:41
I will be submitting written testimony that will have my opinions about the class size the class size mandate and how it affects citywide.
4:04:51
And as many people know, I'm a district 75 parent.
4:04:55
But and I'm not trying to go back at work, but just listening, to some of the previous speakers about district 20.
4:05:03
That's my district.
4:05:04
That's where I live.
4:05:06
And and for people to say, we can't build these schools in 5 years.
4:05:09
We have 3 schools coming online in September.
4:05:13
So I don't wanna perpetuate this misinformation.
4:05:16
In order to allow fear and and distrust to affect people's opinions about whether class size smaller class sizes are necessary or not.
4:05:28
When we came back fully in person after the pandemic in district 20, middle populated, middle school, and district 20, which my child attended, had to cap their class sizes.
4:05:40
They just didn't have the capacity to take the over register students that were coming in asking for a seat.
4:05:48
And we did send them to a school that had a bit more capacity.
4:05:52
And when the opportunity opened up for the children to come back following year, they stayed at the other school.
4:05:59
And do you know why?
4:06:00
Because when they were sent to a slightly lower enrolled school, they discovered they had comprehensive stem programs there.
4:06:08
They had a robotics program there.
4:06:10
They had a student leadership led social emotional team there, which nobody talks about.
4:06:19
Because there's only, you know, a handful of schools in district 20 that people have deemed high performing schools.
4:06:27
Or, you know, high quality schools, and they get the most attention.
4:06:31
And just like you're referencing, the Brooklyn Academy of music high school down in district 13.
4:06:40
That's a hidden gem.
4:06:41
There's tons of hidden gems.
4:06:42
In in district 20 as as well as other overpopulated districts.
4:06:48
And if we don't start capping you know, class sizes and making parents aware that there are other quality schools in their district, they will remain hitting gems.
4:07:01
So I think that, you know, when we're talking about this class size mandate, it's necessary.
4:07:06
You know, evidence has proven post, you know, COVID that with the smaller class sizes that were implemented in the hybrid model, there were more children being serviced.
4:07:16
There were more children getting their social and emotional learning needs addressed.
4:07:20
There were more students who were given trauma supports because of the smaller class sizes.
4:07:25
So I think that's the kind of lens that we need to take to this.
4:07:30
So we have to recognize that with the challenges that the deal we had had put out, We also have to hold them accountable for the fact that they created it.
4:07:39
You know, the the the fact that we have lost over 4 1000 Sorry.
4:07:45
Can I just finish my thought?
UNKNOWN
4:07:48
You can continue.
Paullette Healy
4:07:49
Thank you.
4:07:50
The fact that we have lost 4000 teachers, starting from fiscal year 2019 till now, and we're at the risk of losing 3000 more teachers This was created by the austerity budget, and this was this was how the DOE decided to implement those austerity cuts.
4:08:09
So to say that there's going to be a challenge hiring the necessary teachers in order to comply with the class size law, Yeah.
4:08:17
Because they men they they manifested this.
4:08:19
It's bigger fall that that we're going to have trouble hiring these teachers.
4:08:25
The only ask that I that I have in terms of, you know, what is being presented, and and thank you, Johanna Garcia, for doing an incredible job leading.
4:08:33
The class size working group and their recommendations.
4:08:36
My only ask in addition to what they're asking for is that we recalculate the existing utilization formula because as of right now, it doesn't really reflect things like like radiators and support beams.
4:08:51
In the in the classroom in terms of, like, you know, how many students can fit into that particular classroom.
4:08:56
It also doesn't have a component to recognize that there needs to be appropriate spaces for therapy sessions.
4:09:04
Because of that, we are having speech OT and PT being implemented in staircases, and hallways, and storage closets.
4:09:11
Meanwhile, schools are using spaces for photo labs instead of therapy rooms.
4:09:17
So I think that's something that we can definitely do.
4:09:20
And then also, if we can make sure that there's protections to protect d75 collocated programs that are already in buildings right now.
4:09:30
The promise was that the class size mandate would not affect a existing D75 programs.
4:09:35
But unfortunately, at the start of this year, the truncation proposals that have been presented at the path have harmed district 75 programs.
4:09:45
And if it wasn't for robust organization and advocacy
UNKNOWN
4:09:48
Utah has expired.
4:09:49
Please wrap up Utah testimony.
Paullette Healy
4:09:51
Yes.
4:09:51
That that was my last comment.
4:09:53
So, please, I know that you are a d 75 parent as well and invested in our community.
4:09:58
So if we can just make sure there's better rejections, that would go a long way.
4:10:01
Thank you.