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Gov. Kathy Hochul sounds support for NYC class-size bill, with changes
By
Jon Campbell
Published Aug 25, 2022
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By
Jon Campbell
Published Aug 25, 2022
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Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday offered tepid support for a bill that would mandate significantly smaller class sizes in New York City schools, suggesting that a compromise could be coming within days.
Hochul made the comments on WNYC’s “Brian Lehrer Show,” where Lehrer asked her directly whether she would sign or veto the controversial measure that Mayor Eric Adams has criticized as an unfunded mandate. Her comments, though vague, offered her clearest stance yet on the controversial measure that’s supported by teachers' unions but opposed by some parents as well as the Citizens Budget Commission.
“I'm looking closely at it,” Hochul said. “I am inclined to be supportive. I just have to work out a few more details with the mayor. I spoke to him about it yesterday.”
The state Legislature passed the bill in June alongside an extension of mayoral control of the school system, which had been set to expire. The measure would gradually implement a cap of 20 to 25 students per class, depending on grade level – down from the current cap of 30 to 34 students. The measure, if signed, would be phased in over five years from the time it’s enacted.
But Adams, a Democrat, has been critical of the bill since it passed, saying it would require the city to spend millions of dollars to expand classroom space and hire more teachers. He has pressed Hochul to reject the measure as it’s currently written.
In a statement, City Hall spokesperson Amaris Cockfield reiterated the mayor's concerns.
“While this administration strongly supports lower class sizes, unless there is guaranteed funding attached to those mandates, we will see cuts elsewhere in the system that would harm our most vulnerable students in our highest-need communities," Cockfield said.
Hochul, meanwhile, is trying to thread the needle to satisfy proponents of smaller class sizes and the Adams administration. She told Lehrer she is weighing a potential “chapter amendment” that would allow her to sign the bill alongside a commitment from the Legislature to make changes to it when lawmakers return to Albany in January.
Specifically, Hochul said a potential chapter amendment could better lay out a “funding source” to implement the change.
“There are some loose ends, but philosophically it's something I'm supporting,” Hochul said of the bill. “I would say that, leave it to us in the next couple of days, and this will be resolved.”
The Democrat-controlled Legislature, however, would have to agree to any changes, which is far from a given. On Thursday, State Sen. John Liu of Queens noted that lawmakers passed the bill nearly unanimously, and said Hochul should "sign the bill now so the school year can begin with clarity."
"The governor is respectfully reminded of the long tortuous history of New York City school kids being denied a sound basic education, which ultimately led to substantial increases in state school funding and this legislation," said Liu, who chairs the Senate committee overseeing legislation that deals with the city's school system.
More than 1,000 bills cleared both houses of the state Legislature this year, including 453 that Hochul has not yet signed or vetoed.
Along with the class-size bill, Hochul still hasn’t weighed in on legislation that would establish a two-year moratorium on proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining. The practice has been controversial in the Finger Lakes, where crypto miners have acquired an old fossil fuel plant to power their operations to the chagrin of environmentalists.
Asked by Lehrer, Hochul declined to take a position on the crypto mining moratorium, touting her environmental bona fides and pointing to the large number of bills the Legislature passed.
“We will get to it,” she said. “I have to focus on some other issues at this moment, but I think people know my commitment [to the environment].”
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new york
class size
Kathy Hochul
Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
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