Contracts for Excellence (C4E) Overview

2. Contracts for Excellence (C4E) Overview • Funds must support specific program initiatives. • Class Size Reduction • Time on Task • Teacher & Principal Quality Initiatives • Middle & High School Restructuring • Full-Day Pre-Kindergarten Programs • Model Programs for English Language Learners (new in 08-09) • 2. Funds must go to students with the greatest educational need. • English Language Learners • Students in Poverty • Students with Disabilities • Students with Low Academic Achievement or At Risk of Not Graduating • 3. Funds must supplement, not supplant. • For new or expanded programs only • Should be used towards meeting school’s overall educational goals as outlined in the CEP

3. 2007-08 C4E Approved Plan How Funds Were Allocated How Funds Were Used Funds that schools could decide how to spend within the C4E program areas NYC 2007-08 C4E Plan approved 11/19/07 by SED.

4. Five Year Class Size Reduction Plan • As stipulated by the Contracts for Excellence legislation, the City submitted a Five Year Class Size Reduction Plan to SED that was approved on November 19, 2007. • The plan combines a series of multi-year strategies to reduce class sizes, including: Results from our February Mid-year Class Size Report indicate that the approach of empowering and enabling class size reduction is achieving results. * Excludes self-contained special education classes ** Includes 9th grades residing in Jr. High Schools (i.e. 6-9 schools)

5. Budgeting for Student Success • We want to give our schools and our schoolchildren the money they need to succeed. That means: • Putting as much money as possible into schools. We want as many dollars as possible in schools, where they can be used to help students learn. That’s why, before this year, we cut more than $350 million from the education bureaucracy and put it into schools and classrooms. And it’s why we’re cutting $200 million this year from the bureaucracy. • Distributing money based on students’ needs. We know it costs more to educate special education students, students who are still learning English, and students who are struggling in school. That’s why we created our Fair Student Funding formula, through which we send $5.6 billion to schools based on student need. • Making sure we don’t destabilize one school as we help another. We want to help schools that have historically been shortchanged and we want to make sure that we don’t destabilize schools that are working for our kids. We are responsible for all students, and can’t afford to hurt one to help another.

6. NYC DOE’S FY09 Budget Situation • Here is a summary of our budget reality for the 2008-09 school year:  • We face an economic downturn. Our non-discretionary new costs are greater than our new State and City funds. • Even though times are tough, the overall impact on school budgets is modest ($99 million). • This is true largely because we’ve made it our first priority to minimize the impact of our budget shortfall on schools. • We are honoring the principles and commitments of Fair Student Funding. • If we could distribute new State funds equitably, all schools would experience a 1.4% reduction in spending power. Because of current legal mandates, however, some schools will experience reductions in spending power of up to 6%. Others will actually see increases in spending power of up to 4%.

7. Current State Mandates Restrict Fund Use NEW STATE FUNDS FY09 $535 million $385 M RESTRICTED $150 M UNRESTRICTED $385 million $150 million Funds subject to C4E $242 million $113 million $30 million New costs eligible for C4E funds Restricted C4E funds “Maintenance of Effort” for existing priorities

8. Appealing to Albany for Relief • We are appealing to Albany to make reductions in spending power equitable across all of our schools. • As we work to resolve this issue, we are holding back $63 million in the State’s restricted operating aid. • If distributed in an equitable fashion, these funds would bring all schools to a 1.4% reduction in spending power. • If distributed according to current State regulations, some schools will see spending power reductions of more than 6%. • We will finalize budgets once this issue is resolved in Albany. Contract for Excellence dollars are preliminary. These funds are subject to a public engagement process and approval by the State Education Department. This means that there could be changes in that budget line.

9. NYC’s 2008-09 Preliminary C4E Plan How We Propose to Allocate Funds Funds that schools can decide how to spend within the C4E program areas

11. School Spending Guidance • An important part of the City’s Children First school reforms is allowing principals to make decisions about what they need for their schools and students to succeed. • Given the special considerations of C4E funding, the Department is working to ensure that principals and SLTs have the full range of information and support needed to optimally allocate their C4E dollars: • CEP Process: C4E planning is included in the 2008-09 Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP) process, which requires input from the School Leadership Team (SLT). SLTs are also being provided with C4E training. • SSO and ISC Support: SSO and ISC teams are being trained on C4E provisions and are proactively working with schools to plan for allocation of C4E funds. These teams in turn work with DOE liaisons to the State Education Department to answer specific school questions about program eligibility, approved fund uses, etc. • Public Feedback: Principals have been informed that they are required to take into account public feedback as well as input from their teams and greater school communities when deciding how to spend C4E funds. • Program-Specific Guidance: The Department is offering program planning support to schools in three areas of strategic focus: class size reduction, middle school reform and support of English Language Learners (ELLs) CEP Process: C4E planning is included in the 2008-09 Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP) process, which requires input from the School Leadership Team (SLT). SLTs are also being provided with C4E training.

12. Program Guidance: Middle Schools & ELLs • The Office of Teaching & Learning is working with SSOs to provide program guidance and technical assistance to help schools design effective instructional strategies. Specific outreach will be focused on schools serving middle grade (6-8) students and English Language Learners. • Programs and Services Offered to Schools • Professional Development Opportunities Across All Content Areas • Exemplary Site Visitations • Sample Program Models • Resources Offered to Educators • Identification of innovative programs • Dissemination research • Development of resource guide to support middle schools • Distribution of policy briefs • These supports will be framed by the work from two larger Department initiatives: • Middle School Success Plan – Blueprint for redesign • Language Acquisition Policy – Support in analyzing efficacy of services to ELLs and developing appropriate policies and practices

13. Program Guidance: Class Size Reduction • 2008-09 Class Size Reduction Guidance Memo • Updated and refined citywide guidance on class size reduction strategies released in Principals’ Weekly on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 • Provides suggestions and resources for schools considering class size reduction or other personalization strategies and describes how system-wide policies around enrollment and space allocation will impact schools’ class size reduction efforts • 2008-09 Class Size Reduction Coaching Program • The Department expects to add roughly 50 schools to the targeted coaching program in 2008-09, who will be asked to prioritize CSR in the coming year and will receive focused support for implementing CSR or co-teaching strategies • Participating schools identified based on low performance on city and/or state accountability metrics, relatively high class size, and in some cases, availability of space • Enhancements to the Five-Year Class Size Reduction Plan • Class size reduction and personalization guidance integrated into budget and school planning documents for the 2008-09 school year • The Department intends to use central planning processes to adjust enrollment plans and propose alternate zoning when appropriate to facilitate reduced registers, better use of school facilities and reduced class size • 11,471 seats are coming on-line in new buildings in September 2008, with enrollment patterns designed to optimize reductions in surrounding schools. An additional 32,000 seats are scheduled to be completed between 2009 and 2011. • We continue to improve the accuracy and transparency of our class size reports, particularly around middle school class size data and the reporting of over- and under-size classes

17. Building Up To District and Citywide Plans • The DOE is required to submit a citywide C4E plan—which includes individual spending plans for each school receiving funds—by July 15 to the State Education Department (SED).

18. Public Comment • We will take public feedback into account in the coming month as we continue to work with schools to develop a citywide Contracts for Excellence plan. • Please let us know what you think before July 1. We must submit a final plan to the State Education Department for review on July 15. • The public may comment on any aspect of the plan, including: • How schools are planning to spend their discretionary funds within the six allowable program areas • How the DOE is allocating targeted Contracts funds to schools • How the DOE is allocating funds for School Support Services • NYC’s Class Size Reduction plan • The public comment process itself • Educators, parents, and all other members of the New York City community with feedback should e-mail us atContractsForExcellence@schools.nyc.gov