For Immediate Release

UFT President Randi Weingarten on the city’s revised “Contracts-for-Excellence” spending plan July 18, 2007

Jul 18, 2007 4:09 PM

Yesterday, the city submitted to Albany its final plan for spending $258 million in additional state aid. The state required the city to use the money on class size reduction and other proven education practices. Responding to criticism that its initial plan lacked specifics, the city provided a school-by-school breakdown that will allow parents and advocates to track how the money is used in every targeted school. The city says it will spend $141 million on class size reduction and less than $1 million on full-day pre-K.

Weingarten’s response:

“Helping struggling middle schools that need smaller class sizes and providing a transparent system for public tracking of class sizes have clearly improved the city’s revised CFE plan. And we’re gratified to see more collaborative team teaching to allow special education children to be mainstreamed into general education classes.

“But unless there is a compelling reason to the contrary, the city could have said the $244 million in new CFE monies must be devoted to class size reduction. Just as the city made it clear that citywide priorities supercede individual principals’ discretion – such as mandating that the added 37 minutes four days a week be used for tutoring and not professional development – it could have done that with class size. They didn’t, and that’s why we’re so disappointed. Teachers want to help children succeed, and they need smaller classes to make it happen.

“Another missed opportunity is all-day pre-kindergarten classes, which educators know is one of the best ways to give kids a solid educational base. The city didn’t come up with a citywide plan even though that is a key priority of CFE funding. Sadly, we’re going to have to return to Albany next year to fight for more restrictive regulations to ensure that state commitments to reduce class size and provide early childhood education are honored.”