Class Size Outrage

Petition urges more funding

By Warren Woodberry Jr.
Daily News Staff Writer

Size does matter, especially in city public school classrooms, a Queens councilman insists.

That's why Councilman John Liu and recent public school graduates were outside Flushing Library last week gathering signatures from registered voters on petitions that urge lawmakers to pump more funding into public schools - and thus reduce class sizes.

Liu (D-Flushing) and his helpers are part of a citywide coalition, New Yorkers for Smaller Classes, that is working to collect 45,000 signatures to be sent to legislators in Albany. The state Supreme Court last year ruled that New York State had inadequately funded the city public schools for years and owes city students $15.2 billion, Liu said.

"The courts have already mandated that the New York City public schools are not getting their fair share of state funding," Liu said. "When it comes to class sizes, size does matter."

Legislators were supposed to boost public school funding in the most recent state budget, but city and state lawmakers failed to agree on terms, the councilman said.

Liu said the coalition of parents, educators, activists and clergy wants more funds allocated to hire additional teachers and achieve a proper teacher-student ratio. It is seeking legislation that would compel the Legislature to come up with an exact funding total needed to reduce class sizes.

Over the next six years, the councilman noted, Queens schools, which have a population of about 300,000 students, are expected to be short about 50,000 classroom seats.

"We want to get this on the table legally so that it is not subject to negotiations that the teachers and students do not want," said Liu.

Bonnie Duen, 23, of Fresh Meadows, is participating in the petition drive. She remembers that in her days as a student at Francis Lewis High School, she found it difficult to concentrate in classes of 30 to 40 students because it was harder for teachers to manage disruptions in classes of that size.

"Teachers are becoming baby-sitters instead of teaching," said Duen.

Liu concurred that smaller classes would cut down on disciplinary and behavior problems, and that might deter parents from pulling their children out of public schools in favor of private institutions.

"One of the biggest problems facing the New York City public school system is the class sizes are too large," said Liu. "It is just impossible for the teacher to give enough attention to each student."

Originally published on July 11, 2005