An interesting court case is happening in New York City - a coalition of parents and teachers, including representatives from Class Size Matters and the American Federation of Teachers, filed a lawsuit in order to place a class size referendum on the November ballot. The city blocked the referendum, which would set aside 25 percent of the money received through the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case in order to lower class sizes. Legalities aside, the essential question is whether a referendum is the best way to determine how this money should be spent.
In the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case, the state's highest court ordered the state to pay city schools $4.7 billion to $5.63 billion in additional operating funds over four years. That is a lot of money and (assuming this money comes through) it is an incredible, and rare, opportunity for New York City.
Is class size reduction a good use of these funds? Maybe, but it is an expensive reform and can result in unintended consequences if enacted poorly. It does, though, have a nice ring to it and is easy to understand, making it popular among parents and voters. Voters, though, don'’t typically have all of the information needed to make an informed decision -– take California, for example.
California'’s class size reduction effort was implemented quickly and across all schools, resulting in greater inequalities in teacher quality distribution - schools suddenly had to find credentialed teachers to fill the open positions, resulting in an increase in the number of un-credentialed teachers, especially among schools serving the most disadvantaged students.
Research has shown that class size reduction can be effective in raising student achievement, especially among minority students, if it is done well. Given that the Campaign for Fiscal Equity money is a once in a lifetime opportunity for New York City, how it is spent needs to be a carefully considered process involving multiple options. I doubt that referendums are the best way to achieve this.
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