The UFT is taking aim at the School Construction Authority as it forecasts that as New York City public schools enter year four of the phased implementation of the state’s class-size reduction law, they will fall slightly short of the 80% compliance the law requires.

City schools likely will be in 77% compliance come September 2026, the start of the fourth of a five-year phase-in of the law Gov. Kathy Hochul signed in 2022. The shortfall is largely due to a lack of physical space, a challenge that must be addressed by the School Construction Authority, said UFT President Michael Mulgrew.

“This is not about staffing or funding at this point,” Mulgrew said. “It comes down to space, and that is work the School Construction Authority must address.”

The law, signed by Hochul after years of advocacy by the UFT and public school parents, sets firm class-size limits for New York City public schools: no more than 20 students in kindergarten through grade 3, 23 in grades 4–8 and 25 in high school. Integrated co-teaching classes are subject to the same caps, while students with disabilities may make up no more than 40% of an ICT class.

The city Department of Education was required to bring 20% of classrooms into compliance in the first year, 40% in year two and 60% in year three, this school year, with full compliance mandated by September 2028.

Progress to date has been fueled by a significant investment in staffing. Last summer, the DOE hired approximately 3,600 teachers to fill 3,700 positions tied to class size reduction, using $240 million in recurring state funding allocated for that purpose. However, as of last fall, some school principals had not applied for funding to hire additional staff, even when their buildings had sufficient space to support smaller classes.

To address that gap, the DOE, with the UFT’s support, required every school to complete a detailed survey in December outlining its space and staffing needs. The goal was to ensure that schools with available classrooms received the funding necessary to hire more educators. By January, 100% of schools had completed the survey.

For schools constrained by overcrowded buildings, some have been granted temporary exemptions from the class-size requirements while construction projects move forward. These exemptions, which require approval by the DOE, the UFT and the principals union, are limited to schools with an approved plan to expand capacity through annexes or new facilities, or to schools impacted by separate school construction projects in their neighborhood.

UFT Assistant Secretary Michael Sill said implementation of the law has gone far smoother — and been less costly — than critics predicted.

“A small group of naysayers claimed the cost would be exorbitant and that students would be forced to attend schools far from home,” Sill said. “They’ve been proven wrong. We have the funding, we’ve been doing the work, and there’s more reason for optimism than there was when the law first passed, but the SCA needs to do its part now.”