News

NEW YORK, NY June 16, 2005 —The City Council is considering legislation that would give parents more information about overcrowding in their local public schools.

The Education Department publishes annual report cards for each school. They list the number of students, teachers and test scores. But they don't give class sizes. They just note the citywide average for each grade.

Council members say that does nothing to help parents know whether an individual school is overcrowded. They're proposing two bills. One would require the Education Department to report average class sizes for each school. Another would force the department to give a school by school breakdown for how many closets, gyms and trailers are used as classrooms.

Education Department officials say they support these goals. But they warned against any efforts to mandate smaller classes because of budget constraints and the need to give principals flexibility.