NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Proposed Teacher Layoffs May Increase Class Sizes

Class Size

By SAMANTHA GROSS   03/ 6/11 12:17 PM   AP

NEW YORK -- As Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to take more than 6,000 teachers off the payroll to help balance a strained budget, some parent advocates are questioning what the layoffs will do to New York public school class sizes.

The proposed cuts, combined with attrition over the last two years, would take roughly one in eight teachers out of the city's public schools and could swell classes to an average of 24 to 29 kids, depending on grade level _far outstripping the national public school average. New York City education officials say they don't yet know exactly how the layoffs would impact class sizes.

City officials blame the drop on the loss of billions of dollars in state and federal aid. Parent advocates say the city is ignoring an already-broken agreement made in 2007 that was supposed to reduce class sizes across the board.

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NEW YORK -- As Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to take more than 6,000 teachers off the payroll to help balance a strained budget, some parent advocates are questioning what the layoffs will do to New Y...
NEW YORK -- As Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to take more than 6,000 teachers off the payroll to help balance a strained budget, some parent advocates are questioning what the layoffs will do to New Y...
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P Alan Grene   5 hours ago (3:02 PM)
"NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg'­s Proposed Teacher Layoffs May Increase Class Sizes "

In other news, rising of the sun may cause more light during daytime.
expanse   7 hours ago (1:44 PM)
This would be unacceptab­le in private school.

In any respect, NYC is a very wealthy city. I am sure they can raise revenue easily yet won't because somehow raising taxes on the rich is worse than socking it to the middle class.
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rikster   12 hours ago (8:37 AM)
more street crime....
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Dreamofflowers   12 hours ago (8:20 AM)
Who cares about kids whose parents can't afford private school? Let's face it, this is why Bloomberg can rationaliz­e cramming a bunch of already disadvanta­ged kids into one classroom. His children probably went to private school. If you tried to pull this BS in a private school the parents would be up in arms. Class size matters!
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Euranya   13 hours ago (7:19 AM)
NYC education officials "don't know" how the layoffs would affect class size? Are you kidding? Fewer teachers equals larger classes; larger student to teacher ratios. And I think the writer seriously underestim­ates in this statement: "[layoffs] could swell classes to an average of 24 to 29 kids." I worked in a NYC public high school. Class size was at maximum capacity: 34 students. These layoffs would result in MUCH bigger classes than 24 to 29 students.
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sibyl9   20 hours ago (12:14 AM)
I just subbed in a class for a colleague for his after school credit recovery class - 44 students. Teaching is minimal and direct, controlled chaos is the norm.
TCBGP   21 hours ago (11:44 PM)
Are you kidding? Teachers in California would think they died and went to heaven if they only had 24 to 29 kids in their classes. It's not at all uncommon to walk into a class of 33 first graders. Come to think of it, maybe that's why no one here can read!
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sibyl9   20 hours ago (12:17 AM)
No one should have 33 first graders in one class, I'd go insane. How are you doing?
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Euranya   13 hours ago (7:22 AM)
TCBGP,
Yes, I think the author IS kidding. NYC public schools regularly have overcrowde­d classes with 34 students or more. Maybe they concocted the 24-29 number from factoring in suburban public school, which typically have smaller classes than NYC schools. I'd take any education stats regarding NYC with a grain of salt--a very LARGE grain of salt. The Dept. of Ed is constantly playing numbers games with their "data."
TCBGP   9 hours ago (11:32 AM)
That sounds about right. If there is one thing that politician­s love to lie about is education stats.
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Sodbuster   22 hours ago (10:15 PM)
MAY increase class sizes? HUH?

Do the math. Fewer teachers, same number of kids. Hmmm.

I spent over 30 years in the classroom. I can tell you what will happen. We'll see class sizes of over 30.

Good luck, America. Forget about all that "spending our children's future" mantra. The way our education system is going, our kids won't have a future.
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EmmaNYC   21 hours ago (11:24 PM)
We already have classes over 30 in NYC. Class size, grades 1-12 is 32 now. While some classes may be smaller due to the ways principals spend their money, a school's budget is based on 32 students in a class. With the layoffs, those numbers will go up by 3 or 4 kids per class to 35, 36, maybe 37.
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metriks   23 hours ago (8:57 PM)
The United States spends upwards of one Billion dollars a day on two interminab­le, useless wars. Based on an average teacher's salary and benefits calculatio­n, the United States could hire 13,300 teachers each day ... or +399,000 in a month. Bombs or brains? It's clear where the US stands on this question. Clearly it would be most reasonable for us to irradiate our kids rather than educate them. Nothing has really changed since 1729 when Jonathan Swift wrote A Modest Proposal.

"I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintan­ce in London, that a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food,
whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricasie, or a ragoust"

Who knew Bloomberg was that old.
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thesciguy   07:46 PM on 3/06/2011
May?
hawhite2000   23 hours ago (9:01 PM)
Exactly.
OhioSheryl   07:31 PM on 3/06/2011
Why are teachers on the chopping block? Why not some of those city admins and their bonuses?
America is spending less and less on the education of our future leaders.
Swedenworks   24 hours ago (8:39 PM)
Ohis Sheryl, Are you really from Ohio? If you are then you only need to look at your state governor know why they are spending less and education. First and foremost it's about the pensions and all that money that could go into private company hands and CEOs instead of those damn union teachers. It's an ideology that is nefarious disguised as reform. Secondly, what will America do with a truly educated public? They only need workers to compete with other drones around the world. They are only some many crumbs left in the world.
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Sodbuster   22 hours ago (10:16 PM)
Its all part of the "ownership society." Remember that?

What it means is "you're on your own."
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logic-a-go-go   2 minutes ago (8:22 PM)
It's part of the plundering of government coffers--t­his time they are eyeing education funding. Thus, if they decimate public education through firing experience­d teachers, cutting education funding, and creating a downward spiral, then they will attempt to sweep in and "solve the problem" by privatizin­g. This is the great frontier for capitalist­s who have tried to gain access to this "market" and want billions of middle class taxpayer dollars to yet again line their corporate pockets. The wealthy plunders are not finished swindling the middle class yet and education is next. Watch them.
veteran teacher   06:12 PM on 3/06/2011
I bet if they were willing to give up the union and tenure, he would promise 10 per classroom. Pure garbage.
superdestroyer   04:57 PM on 3/06/2011
Why not get end the idea of truancy and just make high school and junior high voluntary. Then show all of the troublemak­ers the door. With fewer troublemak­ers and no students who are anti-learn­ing, there will be more resources for students who want to learn.

If resources are short, get rid of the worst students and focus on the good and average students.
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medic628   04:57 PM on 3/06/2011
Of course it will increase class sizes! What a wonderful math student!!!­!!!
Swedenworks   04:52 PM on 3/06/2011
Can you please tell me why this is filed under the heading Tea Party? Is this some kind of admittance or understand­ing by HP that the Koch Brothers are behind the New York teacher layoffs and the direction of education policy and attack on teachers in general? That would be some
relevation on your part. We already know.

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