| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 17, 2023 N-23, 2022-23 |
NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CONVENES WORKING GROUP ON CLASS SIZE LEGISLATION IMPLEMENTATION
New York City, NY – New York City Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor David C. Banks today announced the members of the Class Size Working Group. Made up of a diverse cross-section of stakeholders, the goal of this working group is to gather input and provide feedback for DOE leadership to consider related to implementing the State’s new class size legislation.
The legislation, which was signed into law by Governor Hochul in September 2022, prescribes new class size caps for all DOE K-12 community school district schools as well as the creation of a class size reduction plan, to be phased in over five years, for all DOE K-12 community district schools. In addition to requiring the development of the class size reduction plan, which must be approved by the United Federation of Teachers and the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, the law also requires the submission of annual implementation reports. While the New York City Department of Education anticipates being in compliance with the legislation for the next two years, we hope to use feedback from this working group to determine approaches to reaching compliance in the years ahead.
From a large and diverse group of applicants, DOE selected the following members, with a goal of including parents or guardians of DOE students, educators, advocates, researchers, and other key stakeholders. In considering the group composition, DOE considered individuals’ geographic representation, experience, school affiliation (including grade composition and size of the school), as well as organizational affiliation to ensure that a diversity of perspectives are represented within the Working Group.
“We will only succeed in meeting the requirements of the class size legislation with the support of our families, educators, and community partners,” said Chancellor David C. Banks. “The class size mandates included in the legislation passed last year will require difficult decisions and trade-offs in the years ahead, as well as require more funding and other resources. It is critical that members of our school communities are included in this process and help guide the decisions that must be made around implementation of this law.”
The Class Size Working Group will begin meeting this week.
Members of the Class Size Working Group:
| Name | Borough | Affiliation |
| Al Suhu | Queens | Parent |
| Alysa O’Shea | Queens | Parent |
| Andrea Daniels | Bronx/Citywide | Parent |
| Andrew Rein | Citywide | Citizens Budget Commission |
| Ayishah Irvin | Manhattan | Parent |
| Bradley Alter | Brooklyn | Parent |
| Brenda Gonzalez | Bronx | Principal |
| Celeste Douglas | Brooklyn (District 18) | Superintendent |
| Chris Ogno | Brooklyn | Principal |
| Dale Kelly | Citywide | CSA |
| David Marmor | Queens | Principal |
| Deborah Alexander | Queens | Parent |
| Dia Bryant | Statewide | EdTrust NY |
| Elizabeth Hoffman | Citywide | Office of City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams |
| Elizabeth Kennedy | Citywide | Office of the NYC Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams |
| Johanna Bjorken | Brooklyn | School Business Manager |
| Johanna Garcia | Manhattan | Office of State Senator Robert Jackson |
| Kaliris Salas Ramirez | Manhattan | PEP Member |
| Keisha Sydney | Brooklyn | Parent |
| Kesha Rashed | Bronx | Teacher |
| Lara Lai | Citywide | NYC Comptroller’s Office |
| Latoya Coleman | Bronx | Parent |
| Leonie Hamson | Citywide | Class Size Matters |
| Lisa Rivera | Bronx | Parent |
| Lori Podvesker | Brooklyn/Citywide | Parent |
| Lucia Curatolo-Boylan | Staten Island | Parent |
| Marina Marcou-O’Malley | Statewide | AQE |
| Matt Chingos | National | Urban Institute |
| Myrna Torres | Citywide | Children’s Aid |
| Naveed Hasan | Manhattan | PEP Member |
| Patrick Sprinkle | Manhattan | Teacher |
| Phillip Composto | Queens (District 30) | Superintendent |
| Rachel Paguaga | Brooklyn | Teacher |
| Randi Garay | Brooklyn | Parent |
| Randi Levine | Citywide | Advocates for Children |
| Chair Rita Joseph | Citywide | Chair of the Education Committee, City Council |
| Ron Britt | Queens | Parent |
| Rosa G Diaz | Manhattan | Parent |
| Stephen Stowe | Brooklyn | Parent |
| Tom Sheppard | Bronx | PEP Member |
| Venus Sze-Tsang | Staten Island | Parent |
| Vijah Ramjattan | Queens | Parent |
| Additional UFT and CSA Representation to be determined | Citywide | UFT, CSA |
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Contact: Chancellor’s Press Office press@schools.nyc.gov