Mayor Mamdani Faces Costly Challenge to Reduce Class Sizes

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing a significant challenge in reducing class sizes across the city's public school system to meet a state-mandated limit of 25 students per classroom by 2028. Achieving this goal would require the city to hire hundreds of new teachers at an estimated cost of $700 million per year, on top of other ambitious initiatives like free bus service and universal childcare. Staffing shortages, particularly in subjects like math and science, as well as the risk of veteran teachers leaving under-resourced schools for better-funded ones, pose additional hurdles. It remains unclear if the city can meet the 2028 deadline, leading to questions about potential changes to the state law or timeline.

Why it matters

Smaller class sizes have been shown to benefit students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, by allowing teachers to provide more individualized attention. However, the significant cost and logistical challenges of hiring hundreds of new teachers and finding classroom space could force Mayor Mamdani to prioritize certain initiatives over others as he seeks to implement his ambitious agenda for New York City.

The details

The state law requiring New York City to reduce class sizes to 25 students or less in 80% of classrooms by 2028 was passed several years ago, but the previous administration largely delayed implementation. Mayor Mamdani now needs to find an additional $700 million per year to hire all the necessary teachers, which is comparable to the $800 million annual cost of his proposal for free and fast bus service. Staffing shortages are a major concern, particularly in subjects like math, science, special education, and bilingual education. There are also worries that veteran teachers from under-resourced schools may leave for better-funded schools, leading to high turnover and less experienced educators in struggling parts of the system. In addition, finding enough physical classroom space to accommodate smaller class sizes could cost over $15 billion in new school construction.

• Several years ago, the State Legislature passed a law requiring classrooms across New York City to have 25 students or less by 2028.
• The deadline set by the state law for having no more than 25 students in 80% of classrooms is the first day of school in the fall.

What they’re saying

What’s next

People will be watching what happens in Albany in the next few months — whether state lawmakers tweak the law, change the timeline or direct more funding to New York City. There are a lot of competing pressures, particularly with Mamdani embarking on his very ambitious plan to create universal child care for children under 5.