NY Lawmaker Open to Relaxing Class Size Mandate for NYC Schools

State Senator John Liu says he's willing to provide more time and money to help Mayor Zohran Mamdani comply with the law.

Mar. 12, 2026 at 8:12pm

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A key state lawmaker who championed the law requiring New York City to lower class sizes in public schools said he's open to relaxing the mandate to provide budget relief to Mayor Zohran Mamdani. State Senator John Liu, who chairs the panel that oversees city education, said he's willing to work with Mamdani by providing more time and money to meet the class size reduction requirements.

Why it matters

The 2022 state law mandates that 80% of classrooms have no more than 20 to 25 students by next year, depending on grade level. Mamdani's preliminary budget includes nearly $543 million in additional city spending for the next school year to reduce class sizes, which is expected to nearly double in the following three years. Facing a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall, Mamdani has not publicly asked the state to delay or relax the class size deadlines.

The details

Under the 2022 state law, all classrooms must abide by the class size caps by the 2027-28 school year - 20 students for K-3rd grade, 23 for grades 4 to 8, and 25 for high schools. Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels has questioned whether schools will be able to hire the thousands of teachers needed to comply with the law, saying reaching the 80% target by September is a 'formidable undertaking'.

  • The 2022 state law requires 80% of classrooms to have no more than 20 to 25 students by next year.
  • All classrooms must abide by the class size caps by the 2027-28 school year.

The players

John Liu

A state senator from Queens who chairs the panel that oversees city education and championed the law requiring New York City to lower class sizes in public schools.

Zohran Mamdani

The current mayor of New York City who is facing a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall and has not publicly asked the state to delay or relax the class size deadlines.

Kamar Samuels

The New York City Schools Chancellor who has questioned whether schools will be able to hire the thousands of teachers needed to comply with the class size law.

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What they’re saying

“Mayor Mamdani has committed to complying with state law and reducing overcrowding in NYC public school classrooms even though the inaction of the previous administration has exacerbated the difficulty of doing so. It's therefore incumbent upon us to work with him by providing more time and money once he clearly articulates actions to meet those words.”

— John Liu, State Senator (The Post)

“Reaching the target of 80% of classes by September is a 'formidable undertaking'.”

— Kamar Samuels, Schools Chancellor (Chalkbeat)

What’s next

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The takeaway

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