Editorials

Logistics 101

Oct 4, 2007 3:05 PM

Here’s the problem: On the one hand we have many classes that are still too large. A recent report by the Independent Budget Office — a fiscal watchdog in the city — found that in the last school year 61 percent of New York City public school students in the early grades were in classes that exceeded the state-recommended cap of 20. Moreover, class sizes in the higher grades are still far above the statewide average and in many cases even exceed contractual limits.

On the other hand, we have hundreds of educators — many of them experienced, dedicated professionals — who have been excessed from schools that were closed or that have seen a drop in student enrollment. These teachers have wound up on the absent teacher reserve list — ATRs who fill in as substitutes when a regular teacher is out because of some kind of medical or other emergency.

Hmm. See a solution to the problem? So far, the Department of Education hasn’t.

Lowering class sizes has been a top priority for parents and educators for a long time. Next to having a quality teacher in the classroom, small classes are the most vital element in ensuring student success. As anyone who has ever set foot in front of a classroom knows, smaller classes allow a teacher to better sense the students’ level of comprehension, to sharpen the focus of a lesson, to reduce discipline problems and to enable students to receive the individual attention they need. So smaller classes should also be a priority for the administrators at Tweed who care about the quality of education in the city’s schools.

Yet, the IBO study — which did not include higher grades — found that despite $200 million in state and federal funds specifically meant to reduce class size in the early grades, far too many of the city’s classrooms have failed to meet the mark.

UFT President Randi Weingarten also noted that aside from what educators see and know “[t]he Department of Education’s own survey shows that reducing class size is the single most significant issue to parents.”

And then there are all those ATRs. “These seasoned teachers offer a wealth of talent and experience that the city could put to good use by assigning them to schools with overcrowded classes,” Weingarten said.

Isn’t that a simple, cost-efficient way to solve the problem?

DOE?