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Dear Speaker Miller and members of the New York City Council:
We, the undersigned parents, teachers, and other concerned New Yorkers, urge you to establish a Charter Commission that would come up with a plan to limit class size in all grades in the NYC public schools.
Over the summer, more than 115,000 New Yorkers signed petitions so that Question 6, a proposition to establish such a Commission, would be voted on November 2003. If the Mayor and his lawyers hadn’t kept this off the ballot, there's little doubt it would have passed, since informal telephone surveys found that voters supported the proposition by 85%.
Reducing class size in NYC schools has for many years been one of the top priorities of parents, teachers, advocates, and other concerned citizens who care about education in this city. As ample research has shown, smaller classes are one of the most effective ways to increase learning, by ensuring that students benefit from more attention and individualized instruction from their teachers. This is why at least 32 states across the country reduce or limit class size by law.
At a press conference in August, Speaker Miller said, "Over 100,000 New Yorkers have spoken out about the need to improve our kids' education, particularly in light of the CFE decision which was partially grounded in New York City's need to improve class size ratios. It is an opportune time for an independent body to examine how we can move forward."
So now that the voters have been prevented from doing this, it is time for you as members of the City Council to step up to the plate, and create a Charter Commission on class size by simple majority vote.
We ask that you establish a Charter Commission on class size as soon as possible, so that its recommendations can be placed on the November 2004 ballot for voters to accept or reject.
Yours sincerely, |
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(fields marked with * are required)
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Class Size Matters, an organization of parents, teachers and other concerned citizens,dedicated to the goal of reducing class size in New York City public schools.
www.classsizematters.org |
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