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Parents sue for smaller class sizes

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Nine New York City parents filed a petition with the state’s commissioner of education MaryEllen Elia, charging the city’s education department failed to reduce class sizes as required by Contract for Excellence Law.

City public advocate Letitia James and groups like Class Size Matters and the Alliance for Quality Education, also joined the petition.

The Manhattan-based Class Size Matters advocates for smaller class sizes in the city’s public schools and nationwide.

Instead of the state delivering on its plan to reduce class sizes, the plaintiffs said enrollment instead increased since the education commissioner approved the plan in 2007.

The plan called for a maximum of 20 students from kindergarten through third grade, 23 students from fourth through eighth grade, and no more than 25 per class in high school.

The goal of the lawsuit, according to a release, is to push the education department to enforce the law.
“The growth in class size from 2007 to the present is breathtaking,” said David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center, who is representing the parents and nonprofits, in a release.

He said that in 2007, only 1,100 students between first and third grades were in classes of 30 students or more.
As of last November, that number has grown to more than 43,000.

Workshops set for school admissions

The city’s education department will hold a workshop Wednesday, July 19, covering how to build an application for the high school admissions process and how to find a school best suited to the needs and interests of applicants. 


The session runs from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Herbert H. Lehman Education Complex located at 3000 E. Tremont Ave.
The city will then hold an information session Thursday, July 27 at Stuyvesant High School, 345 Chambers St., in Manhattan, from 4 to 7 p.m.

There is no information session scheduled to take place in the Bronx.

Attendees must RSVP to secure a seat at these events. Visit the education department’s website for more information at Schools.nyc.gov.

School desk, Specialized high schools, education department, Class Size Matters, Contract for Excellence

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