New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today issued the following statement on reports regarding school overcrowding:

It is very unfortunate, though not surprising, that a preliminary report released by the United Federation of Teachers has found that more than 7,200 classrooms around the City are exceeding mandated student maximum capacity.

Recent reports by my office have shown that underinvestment and poor management by the Department of Education have resulted in flawed capital planning and a failure to reduce early grade class sizes.

The Department of Education must stop turning a blind eye to this problem and insisting that they are on the right track, when the sad fact is that they are failing to meet the need for more schools and classrooms for our children.

Last week, Thompson released a report entitled Underprepared for Overcrowding: Department of Education School Construction, 2008-2017, which found that the Department of Education (DOE) will leave tens of thousands of students in overcrowded facilities despite new schools being built or planned.

The report – which is available at www.comptroller.nyc.gov – also found that the DOE is particularly failing lower-income and recent-immigrant communities by disproportionately teaching children in trailers and other temporary facilities.

Furthermore, an audit released by Thompson earlier this month charged that the Department of Education (DOE) has consistently failed to monitor the use of certain funds provided by the State to reduce early grade class size – thereby potentially risking the educational advancement and achievement of young students. To view the audit, visit www.comptroller.nyc.gov.

 “Conclusive studies have shown that smaller class sizes in early grades translates into higher student achievement over time,” Thompson said. “Insufficient monitoring and poor allocation of funds by the Education Department has resulted in the failure to create necessary additional classrooms. Each new class created would have benefited not only the students who filled them, but also other general education classes within the same grade.”

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