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Parents and council members press district on class‑size law compliance and teacher hiring plans
Summary
Public commenters and council members discussed the city class‑size law and the scale of teacher hiring and training District 25 will need to meet mandated targets; the superintendent outlined hiring fairs, coaching and professional development supports.
Public comment at the District 25 CEC meeting focused on the city’s class‑size mandate and the district’s capacity to hire and train thousands of teachers.
Why it matters: New class‑size requirements will require substantial hiring and reallocation of staff across New York City; parents and council members asked how District 25 will recruit and prepare the educators needed by September.
A public commenter summarized reporting on the class‑size law and asked the superintendent for detail on gaps and teacher hiring needs. Commenters cited citywide forecasts that New York City may need 7,000–9,000 new hires to meet the mandate; parents worried about teacher shortages in subject areas and about expedited or “fast‑track” certification placing underprepared adults in classrooms. One parent asked how the district will ensure quality and training before new teachers are placed in classrooms.
Superintendent Doctor Mike said principals are already submitting applications for exemptions or staffing plans and that the district will know more after the district submits plans and receives approval; he described hiring fairs timed to certification windows (February and September) and said the district will run a hiring fair to connect candidates and vacancies. He also described multiple layers of professional learning and coaching: district instructional coaches, curriculum coaches for vendors (for example, new math and HMH curricula), and weekend or Saturday coaching sessions to support both new and veteran teachers.
Council members and attendees discussed the relative difficulty of staffing certain licenses (language teachers cited as hard to fill) and the likelihood that teachers may move between districts. Superintendent staff emphasized the district’s coaching pipeline and in‑school supports and said District 25 expects to provide intensive professional development so new hires are ready to teach from September.
Ending: The superintendent committed to provide additional details about approved staffing requests once the applications are reviewed, and to continue district hiring fairs and coaching supports; council members urged transparency about placements and certification pathways.
