Mamdani delays class caps, siding with unions

Mamdani delays – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has agreed to extend deadlines for shrinking public school class sizes, adding two years to meet a 2022 state mandate. The move pushes the timeline toward the city’s 2029–30 school year for smaller kindergart

When New York City’s mayor’s office made promises during the campaign about smaller classrooms. educators heard it as an urgency they could feel every day. Now the deadline for meeting the state’s class-size caps is being pushed back—two years at a time—through a deal that lawmakers and the teachers’ union say is meant to turn the law into reality.

Legislation unveiled Monday gives NYC Public Schools and Mayor Zohran Mamdani two additional years to comply with a 2022 New York state law requiring the city to decrease public school class sizes to 25 students or fewer by 2028. The extension contradicts Mamdani’s campaign promises, and it arrives as the city wrestles with its historic $12 billion budget deficit.

Under the compromise, the extension shifts what counts as “on time” for class-size reductions. The city’s Department of Education will have until the 2029–30 school year to meet a cap of 20 students for kindergarten through third grade and 23 students for grades 4–8. High school classes will have a maximum of 25 pupils under the new proposal.

The deal also sets a compliance ramp. The city must be within 70 percent compliance by the upcoming school year and 90 percent by 2028–29.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew said the union never asked for delay in principle. “We did not want an extension — we want compliance,” Mulgrew said in a statement Monday. “But the reality is that New York City. up until now. had not done all that was needed to make this law a reality in every classroom. If giving this new administration two more years gets us a partner committed to building the necessary seats. then it is the fastest way to turn the law into reality.”.

The law and the math behind it have loomed over the administration since the campaign. During his run for mayor. Zohran Mamdani vowed to shrink class sizes. aligning with the state mandate that requires all classes to be capped between 20 and 25 students by 2028. He also initially promised to hire 1,000 teachers annually as part of a $12 million-per-year initiative to meet the mandate.

But the challenge is enormous, with figures that have repeatedly underscored what “shrinking classes” demands in dollars and space. The city faces up to $1.7 billion in teacher salary costs and $18 billion for new school construction to fulfill the requirement. as reported by Politico. The pressure also intensified after former Mayor Eric Adams’ lack of early action on recruitment and space.

Mulgrew acknowledged it may be impossible to hire every staff member necessary to comply immediately. Under the agreement, educators will be eligible for a pay increase of up to $9,500 by the 2027–28 school year if their classes exceed established caps.

“Our goal is compliance,” Mulgrew’s statement continued. “We hope a differential will be an incentive to do the recruitment, hiring, and construction needed to fulfill the law. Smaller classes are the future of our school system. No one thought it was possible. but now more than 60 percent of classes are smaller as a result of this law. We have to keep pushing to bring this change to all children and all schools.”.

Mulgrew told thousands of teachers about the agreement in an internal email obtained by the New York Post. In that message. he wrote: “For the first time. teachers whose classes remain above the new class size limits because of approved hard-to-staff and space exemptions will be eligible for a differential of up to $8. 500 in 2026-27 school year and $9. 500 in the 2027-28 school year.” He added that these exemptions will be decided upon in November of each year.

The additional pay is part of the leverage built into the compromise—an incentive meant to pressure the city to comply with the class-reduction law. Once approved by lawmakers and Governor Kathy Hochul. the new measure is set to take effect on July 1 and reduce the city’s budget by an estimated $500 million.

Mamdani, for his part, has framed the extension as a way to make the goal achievable. “No student should have to compete for their teacher’s attention. and no educator should be asked to do the impossible in an overcrowded classroom. ” Mamdani said in a statement Wednesday provided to Newsweek. “Smaller class sizes are essential to providing the high-quality public education every child deserves, and we committed to delivering them.”.

He said he was “proud” to back the effort while serving as a state legislator and intends to implement the move in “good faith. ” as promised during his mayoral campaign. “Extending this timeline gives our schools the opportunity to reduce class sizes in a way that is sustainable and responsible. ” Mamdani said while thanking NYC Public Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels and partners in state government.

There is support, too, from the law’s author. State Senator John Liu. who represents Queens and sponsored the original class-size mandate. said the extra two years to comply are necessary. “It has been difficult for the city to recruit teachers in the last couple of years and this year as well. ” Liu told Spectrum News during an interview Tuesday.

The tug-of-war in this moment is straightforward: a state law with a fixed deadline now stretches into the next school cycle. while teachers weigh new financial incentives against the reality of classrooms that may not meet the caps immediately. The extension buys time—but it also locks in measurable targets for future compliance. starting with 70 percent by the upcoming school year and rising to 90 percent by 2028–29.

Zohran Mamdani UFT Michael Mulgrew NYC Public Schools class size mandate New York state law teacher recruitment classroom exemptions Kathy Hochul John Liu class caps