Adams Flip Flops on Small Class Sizes, Backs Hiring Plan

Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos announced plans today to help nearly 750 schools hire over 3,700 teachers. This initiative, included in the Mayor's proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget, aims to reduce class sizes across the city's public school system.

The announcement came during a press conference at P.S. 88 in Ridgewood, Queens. Notably, the funding supports a state law passed in 2022 – a law Mayor Adams himself had previously criticized sharply.

This law sets limits on class sizes:

• No more than 20 students for kindergarten through third grade.
• No more than 23 students for fourth through eighth grade.
• No more than 25 students for high school classes.

Meeting these requirements presents significant hurdles for the city. Estimates suggest the plan will cost billions of dollars. It also demands finding more physical space for the smaller classes and successfully hiring thousands of new teachers at a time when recruiting for public sector jobs, including teaching, has proven difficult.

Teachers without a masters degree in the city will now make $69,000 a year, but even that may not be enough to convince enough qualified people to fill the vacancies.

Previously, Mayor Adams argued against the mandate, focusing on the high cost and warning it could take money away from other important areas like special education and summer school programs.

City teachers' unions were major supporters of the class size law and lobbied extensively for its passage. Hiring thousands of new educators would also mean a large increase in dues-paying union members.

While the implementation faces challenges, research often indicates that smaller class sizes can help improve student learning and achievement.