UFT: Rising Enrollment, Budget Cuts Lead To Most Overcrowded Classrooms In A Decade

By: Rocco Vertuccio

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Representatives from the United Federation of Teachers estimate that more than a quarter-million children learn in overcrowded classrooms, as public schools now face budget cuts, heightened enrollment and the highest overcrowding level in a decade. NY1’s Rocco Vertuccio filed the following report.

There are nearly 7,000 overcrowded classrooms in the city, about 1,000 more than last year and the highest amount in a decade, according to the United Federation of Teachers.

"You walk in and you see people standing because there’s not enough chairs or not enough computers and you think, ‘oh my God, how am I going to deal with this?’" said John Elfrank-Dana, a high school teacher at Murry Bergtraum.

Union representatives blame years of city budget cuts at a time when enrollment is rising. By their count, there are 2,300 fewer teachers in the classroom than last year, and the average class in every grade from kindergarten through high school has more students than the teacher contracts allow.

"We wanted austerity, people said cut, cut, cut. Well guess who’s paying now: the children of this city," said Michael Mulgrew, president of the UFT.

UFT representatives estimate that more than a quarter-million children spend part or all of their day in overcrowded classrooms. It's a concern because teachers say research proves children learn more effectively in smaller classes.

"If we really want our kids to succeed, what we need to do is give our teachers the conditions they need to effectively teach,” said Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters.

Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said it's a matter of dollars and cents.

“Where we have the ability to lower class size, that's something I would love to do, but we have to deal with reality, and the reality is, right now, that money, as the result of state and federal cutbacks, is not available,” said Walcott.

Walcott said that an effective teacher is most important no matter the class size. Union reps say class size is just as important as effective teachers.

Because these class sizes are in violation of the teachers contract, the city will start to bring some of these class sizes down over the next few weeks, but the UFT representatives say that won't solve the entire problem and that this is something the teachers go through year after year.

UFT representatives say the best way to solve the problem is for the city and the union to work together to prevent further cuts.