Thousands of new teachers attended orientation at Brooklyn's Barclays Center as New York City seeks a historically large hiring class. The district typically hires 4,000 to 5,000 educators annually; officials aim to add 3,700 more to comply with the state's class size reduction law. About 750 schools received extra funding to hire teachers and reduce class sizes to state caps of 20 to 25 students by age. Attendance estimates ranged from 3,500 to 4,000 at the orientation, and recruitment will continue through September. Union leaders expressed optimism about meeting the legal target of keeping 60% of classes under the caps, and outreach to colleges has increased. A statewide school cellphone ban also featured as a major policy topic at the event.
In a typical year, the nation's largest school district faces the daunting challenge of hiring between 4,000 and 5,000 new educators to replace the ones who left. This year, officials aim to hire 3,700 on top of that to satisfy the state's class size reduction law. Some 750 schools received additional money from the city for the coming year to hire extra teachers to bring more classes under the state caps, which range from 20 to 25 students depending on age.
City officials weren't immediately able to provide preliminary hiring numbers Tuesday, but Patrick Fagan, the Education Department's Chief Talent Officer, said between 3,500 and 4,000 teachers were in attendance Tuesday. Teacher recruitment usually continues through September. United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew, a key backer of the class size law, said he's optimistic that when school starts next Thursday, the city will be in good shape to reach its legal obligation of keeping 60% of classes under the designated caps.
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