It’s time for Albany to pass a legislative package to bring real oversight to the charter sector. The charter school movement began with bold promises of remaking the educational landscape. The reality is that charters’ “success” has mostly come at the expense of public school children and families.

The UFT found that nearly 90% of the system’s current buildings could adopt the new class size guidelines by using administrative and similar spaces for instruction.

Michael Mulgrew, President of the United Federation of Teachers, highlights the crucial role UFT Teacher Centers have played both historically and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and petitions Albany legislators to increase state funding for this essential program that greatly benefits New York City teachers and students. 

The New York City Council bill to reduce class sizes in our public schools is designed to protect our children’s health and their academic prospects by ensuring adequate space for every student in every classroom.

We want to create classrooms that acknowledge the diverse talents, gifts, and learning styles of each and every student. The entire point is to ensure that the materials used better reflect the myriad of identities contained in each school and classroom.

The Absent Teacher Reserve pool — an initiative that wasted both teacher talent and taxpayer funds — is coming to an end. Its demise is long overdue.