Too Many Kids Still a Problem

Principals Say DOE Wrong
Too Many Kids Still a Problem


School Principals contend the Department of Education data on school capacity bears no relation to reality, according to a survey compiled by Class Size Matters.

The study, which got responses from more than a third of the public school Principals, found that more than half of those at schools the DOE reports as underutilized, or not filled to capacity, believe their schools are overcrowded, leading to unsafe conditions, packed classrooms, and a depletion of necessary student services.

'Underestimated Overcrowding'

According to the most recent DOE estimate, 38 percent of the public schools are overcrowded. The survey found that the figures estimated by the city "significantly underestimate the actual level of overcrowding in the NYC school system."

Of the 492 Principals who responded to the survey, nearly half (48 percent) believe that the city's estimate of their schools capacity is inaccurate. More than half (51 percent) of the Principals at schools the DOE classifies as underutilized called that assessment incorrect, insisting they suffered from overcrowding.

The most common side-effect of overcrowding - unsafe conditions for students or staff - was reported by half of the respondents. Principals also reported diminished after-school programs such as tutoring, clubs and sports.

Other frequent complaints related to the lack of facilities and space within schools. One-quarter of all Principals reported losing their art, music or dance rooms to academic classroom space, with similar losses of computer labs, science labs and reading enrichment rooms.

Using 'Inappropriate' Offices

Principals claim that the inadequate space for classrooms, special education, and intervention services has forced them to use substandard rooms and temporary spaces - such as trailers or annexes - as classrooms.

One Teacher told the survey: "We lost our Science Lab and Art Studio. Most if not all of our AIS [Academic Intervention Services] Instruction is in our hallways and inappropriate offices in the Gym."

The survey reported that "86 percent of Principals said their class sizes were too large to provide a quality education."

The DOE rejected these findings. "This result is more of an op-ed than a survey," said spokeswoman Margie Feinberg. "It was posted on-line with no controls ensuring that respondents were actually Principals. It offered no standards or definition of overcrowding. Questions were phrased to elicit desired answers. It has no value in guiding policy. There are pockets of overcrowding across the city and we are alleviating these problems. Under the current capital plan, we will bring more than 38,000 new seats on-line over the next 28 months and create a total of 63,000 new seats, far more than any other capital plan in city's history."