Overcrowding Crisis in NYC Schools: Urgent need for more seats and smaller class sizes

1. UnMet need for seats in New 2015-2019 capital planIncluding class size and overcrowding data for Community School district 5 Leonie Haimson, Class Size Matters July 2014

2. School Utilization Rates at critical levels • Citywide, schools have become more overcrowded over last six years. More than 480,000 students citywide are in extremely overcrowded buildings. • Elementary schools avg. building utilization “target” rates at 97.4%; median at 102%. High schools are not far behind at 95.2%. • High ES rates in all boroughs, including D10 and D11 in the Bronx 108% and 105.6%, respectively. • In Queens, D24 (120.6%), D25 (109.7%), D26 (110%), D27 (106.1%), and D30 (107.3%) all extremely overcrowded. • At the MS level, D20 in Brooklyn, D24, and D25 in Queens have building utilization rates over 95%. • Queens high school buildings have avg. utilization rate of 110.7% and Staten Island high school buildings 103.2%. Data source: Blue Book target utilization rates 2012-2013

3. Average Utilization Rates City-Wide 2012-2013 Source: 2012-2013 DOE Blue Book

4. Proposed capital plan vs. needs for seats • Proposed capital plan has (at most) 38,754 seats – and this if Cuomo’s “Smart School” bond act is approved. (806 more seats funded only for design) • Plan admits real need of 49,245 (though doesn’t explain how this figure was derived). • DOE’s consultants project enrollment increases of 60,000-70,000 students by 2021 • At least 30,000 seats needed to alleviate current overcrowding for just those districts that average above 100%. • Conclusion: real need for seats at least 100,000.

5. Proposed capital plan vs. needs for seats part II • These figures do not capture overcrowding at neighborhood level, including schools with K waiting lists, or need to expand pre-K, reduce class size, restore cluster rooms, or provide space for charters as required in new state law. • Does not capture need to replace trailers with capacity of more than 10,890 seats. • Though DOE counts only 7,158 students attending class in TCUs, actual number is far higher & likely over 10,000. • Also, DOE utilization figures underestimate actual overcrowding according to most experts and Chancellor, who has appointed a “Blue Book” taskforce to improve them. • Revised utilization formula should be aligned to smaller classes, dedicated rooms for art, music, special education services, and more.

6. Class sizes have increased for six years in a row • Despite provisions in 2007 state law requiring NYC reduce class sizes, classes in K-3 in 2013-2014 largest since 1998; in grades 4-8 largest since 2002. • K-3 average class size was 24.9 (Gen Ed, inclusion & gifted classes) compared to 20.9 in 2007, increase of 19%. • In grades 4-8, the average class size was 26.8, compared to 25.1 in 2007 –increase of 6.8%. • HS “core” academic classes, class size average 26.7, up slightly since 2007.  (Yet DOE’s measure of HS class sizes is inaccurate and their methodology changes, so estimates cannot be relied upon.) • Averages do NOT tell the whole story – as more than 330,000 students were in classes of 30 or more in 2013-2014. • There were 40,268 kids in K-3 in classes of 30 or more in 2013-2014 – an increase of nearly 14% compared to the year before. • The number of teachers decreased by over 5000 between 2007-2010, according to the Mayor’s Management Report, despite rising enrollment.

7. General ed, CTT and gifted: data from IBO 1998-2005; DOE 2006-2013

8. Gened, CTT and gifted: data from IBO 1998-2005; DOE 2006-2013

10. Class sizes in CSD 5 have increased in grades K-3 by 10.6% since 2006 and are now above Contracts for Excellence goals Data sources: DOE Class Size Reports 2006-2013, 2008 DOE Contracts for Excellence Approved Plan

11. CSD 5’s class sizes in grades 4-8 have decreased by 4.5% since 2007 but are still above Contracts for Excellence goals Data sources: DOE Class Size Reports 2006-2013, 2008 DOE Contracts for Excellence Approved Plan

12. Class sizes city-wide have increased in core HS classes as well, by 2.3% since 2007, though the DOE data is unreliable* and are far above Contracts for Excellence goals *DOE’s class size data is unreliable & their methodology for calculating HS averages have changed year to year Data sources: DOE Class Size Reports 2006-2013, 2008 DOE Contracts for Excellence Approved Plan

13. CSD 5 Schools with large class sizes • At the Kindergarten level, there are three schools, PS 36, PS 133, and Teachers Community College School in District 5 with with an average class size of 25 or more, according to DOE’s November 2013 report. • In grades 1-3, there are 8 schools in District 5 with at least one grade level averaging 25 students per class or more. • PS 133 Fred R Moore and PS 154 Harriet Tubman have at least one grade level in 1-3 with 30 or more students. • In grades 4-8, eight schools have at least one grade level with an average class size of 30 or more.

14. Examples of schools in CSD 5 with large class sizes, K-3

15. At least 30,000 seats currently needed just in districts averaging over 100% *These figures are the difference between capacity & enrollment in the organizational target # in 2012-2013 Blue Book Source: 2012-2013 DOE Blue Book

16. Average Utilization Rates in CSD 5 compared to City-Wide 2012-2013 Source: 2012-2013 DOE Blue Book

17. Over-utilized ES and MS buildings in CSD 5 and in Manhattan HS • There are seven buildings in CSD 5 that are over-utilized. The seat need is nearly 600 students. • 16 Manhattan high school buildings are over-utilized. Over 3,500 seats are needed to reduce building utilization to 100%. • Please note that the seat need here is higher because it takes into account all buildings that are over-utilized (100% or more) rather than the need averaged across the district.

18. Seven CSD 5 ES and MS Buildings are over-utilized *598 Seats Needed to reach 100% building utilization

19. 18 Manhattan HS buildings are over-utilized *3,548 Seats Needed to reach 100% building utilization

20. New Seats in Capital Plan and DOE Enrollment Projections for CSD 5 0

21. City-wide Enrollment Projections K-8 vs. New Seats in Capital Plan *Statistical Forecasting does not include D75 students; K-8 Seats in Capital Plan are categorized as Small PS and PS/IS and includes 4,900 seats for class size reduction if Bond issue passes. Source for Housing Starts: NYSCA Projected New Housing Starts 2012-2021, http://www.nycsca.org/Community/CapitalPlanManagementReportsData/Housing/2012-21HousingWebChart.pdf; Projected public school ratio, https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Education/Projected-Public-School-Ratio/n7ta-pz8k

22. City-wide Enrollment Projections HS vs. New Seats in Capital Plan *Statistical Forecasting does not include D75 students; HS Seats in Capital Plan are categorized as IS/HS and does not include seats for class size reduction Source for Housing Starts: NYSCA Projected New Housing Starts 2012-2021, http://www.nycsca.org/Community/CapitalPlanManagementReportsData/Housing/2012-21HousingWebChart.pdf; Projected public school ratio, https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Education/Projected-Public-School-Ratio/n7ta-pz8k

23. Also Kindergarten Waitlists in many neighborhoods

24. Seats Need for CSD 5 and Manhattan High Schools • The FY 2015-2019 Capital Plan that DOE will move forward with plans to add no seats in District 5 despite the housing starts creating 628 students by 2021. • Furthermore, In District 5, nearly 600 new seats are needed just to reduce the elementary and middle school students in buildings over 100% utilization. • The Capital Plan will not address roughly 1,200 seats in CSD 5. • In Manhattan high schools, over 3,500 new seats are needed to address present overcrowding in buildings over 100% utilization. • Yet according to the Capital Plan, no seats are currently expected to be added in Manhattan high schools.

25. New charter provisions passed in state budget • Any charter co-located in a NYC school building cannot be evicted and has veto powers before they leave the building – even if they are expanding and squeezing out NYC public school students.  • This includes any charter co-location agreed to before 2014 – including the three Success charter schools approved right before Bloomberg left office. • Any new or charter school in NYC adding grade levels must be “provided access to facilities” w/in five months of asking for it. • If they don’t like the space offered by the city, they can appeal to the Commissioner King, who is a former charter school director and has never ruled against a charter school. • NO FISCAL IMPACT statement or analysis accompanying this bill. • In addition, the state will provide all charter schools with per-pupil funding increases, amounting to $500 over the next 3 years and provide them funding for pre-K.

26. Charter space provisions ONLY apply to NYC • Upstate legislators fought off making charters eligible for state facilities funds – which would have been better for NYC. • Yet legislators did not block these onerous provisions for NYC , where we have the most expensive real estate & the most overcrowded schools in the state. • If the DOE doesn’t offer charter schools free space, the city  must pay for a school’s rent in private space or give them an extra 20 percent over their operating aid every year going forward. • After the city spends $40 million per year on charter rent, the state will begin chipping in 60% of additional cost.

27. How many charters will there be entitled to free space? • We have 183 charters in NYC, 119 in co-located space. • 22 new charters are approved to open next year or the year after, all entitled to free space. • 52 additional charter schools left to approve until we reach the cap raised in 2010 – with legislative approval – all entitled to free space. • Any new or existing co-located charter can also be authorized to expand grade levels through HS and will be entitled to free space. • DOE will be paying $5.4 M in annual rent for four years for 3 Success Academy schools that only have 484 students next year – at a cost of $11,000 per student. • This doesn’t count the unknown renovation costs in these 3 schools, also paid for by the city.

28. Blue book data & Utilization formula inaccurate & underestimates actual level of overcrowding • Class sizes in grades 4-12 larger than current averages & far above goals in city’s C4E plan & will likely force class sizes upwards • Doesn’t require full complement of cluster rooms or special needs students to have dedicated spaces for their mandated services • Doesn’t properly account for students now housed in trailers in elementary and middle schools. • Doesn’t account for co-locations which subtract about 10% of total space and eat up classrooms with replicated administrative & cluster rooms. Small schools use space less efficiently • Instructional footprint shrank full size classroom only 500 sq. feet min., risking building code/safety violations at many schools as 20-35 sq feet per student required. • Special ed classrooms defined as only 240-499 sqft, thought State Ed guidelines call for 75 sqft per child with special needs; classrooms this small would allow only 3- 7 students.

29. Comparison of class sizes in Blue book compared to current averages & Contract for excellence goals *DOE reported HS class sizes unreliable

30. Some Recommendations • 38,000 seats in capital plan is too low, esp. given existing overcrowding, projected enrollment, pre-K expansion, class size reduction, new mandates to provide charter schools with space • Also very low as compared to Mayor’s plan to create or preserve 200,000 affordable housing units. • Council should expand the seats in five year capital plan. • Commission an independent analysis by City Comptroller, IBO or other agency. • Adopt reforms to planning process so that schools are built along with housing in future through mandatory inclusionary zoning, impact fees etc. • Over half of all states and 60% of large cities have impact fees, requiring developers to pay for costs of infrastructure improvements, including schools.