District 25 outlines Contracts for Excellence plan to meet New York state class-size mandate

District 25 staff presented the Contracts for Excellence (C4E) plan and how the district will use new state funds to comply with the state's 2022 class-size limits at a Community Education Council meeting.

The presentation explained that statewide C4E funding will rise to about $1.089 billion in fiscal year 2026, including $241 million in new funding targeted to meet the class-size mandate and $45 million phased in from last year's allocation. District 25's share was described as just under $42 million (approximate); district staff said discretionary funds and class-size dollars will be allocated at the school level in accordance with allowable uses.

Why it matters: the C4E allocations are intended to reduce class sizes and support students with the greatest needs (English language learners, students in poverty, and students with disabilities). District staff said school leaders and School Leadership Teams (SLTs) submitted applications that drove the district's distribution of funds.

District staff described the allowable uses for C4E money, including extended instructional time, after-school academic support, expanded bilingual materials, full-day prekindergarten and kindergarten, class-size reduction through hiring teachers, teacher and principal quality initiatives, integrated co-teaching classrooms, summer programs and autism spectrum disorder classroom seats. The presentation listed citywide figures for several categorical amounts and then described District 25's breakdown as follows (district figures described in the meeting and presented here as the presenters stated them): discretionary funds (largest share) roughly $18 million; new C4E class-size reduction dollars about $9.433 million; fair student funding just under $9 million; integrated co-teaching classrooms about $2 million; class-size phase-in roughly $1.5 million; summer programming about $1.1 million; full-day pre-K about $429,000; autism spectrum disorder classroom funds about $565,000.

Staff said about 750 city schools were awarded C4E funding to hire roughly 3,700 new teachers citywide; at the district level they reported just over 100 additional teacher positions the district expects to add. The district also described capital and space strategies intended to create additional instructional seats (presenters said work converting rooms into instructional space may yield about 1,500 seats).

On implementation and timeline: staff emphasized the school-driven planning process. Each participating school developed a plan with its SLT; schools receiving allocations were chosen on the basis of student need and capacity to implement proposed programs. The draft district plan has been posted for public review; staff said the plan will be finalized only after public comment and after bargaining-unit sign-off where required.

Public comment and next steps: "The deadline for submitting public comment on the C4E plan is 07/08/2025," a presenter said. Members of the public may submit comments by email to contractsforexcellence@schools.nyc.gov. Staff said they will take public feedback into account in the coming weeks and will work with teachers and principals unions to finalize the plan; under the law the district must obtain required sign-off from those unions before the plan is finalized.

Recruitment and staffing: staff described a recent recruitment fair for District 25 that drew hundreds of candidates. Presenters said attendees included fully licensed teachers, teachers awaiting final licensure, recent graduates and student teachers from local colleges; schools at the fair recruited for a range of certification areas and many came prepared to offer placements. Staff said certification assessments are issued by the state and, for many candidates, certification paperwork typically arrives just ahead of a September start date.

Autism programs and other funding streams: when asked about the relatively small C4E allocation shown for autism programs, staff clarified that C4E is only one funding stream for autism seats. They said additional city (tax-levy) funds and other budget lines support district autism programs (special-education placements are determined by student testing and team recommendations), so the C4E autism allocation alone does not capture the full funding available for those programs.

What was not decided: the meeting did not include a formal vote on the C4E plan. Presenters encouraged stakeholders to submit written comments by the July 8 deadline; any formal adoption or finalization of the district plan will follow the public-comment period and required labor sign-offs.

Ending: Staff concluded by reiterating the public-comment deadline and where to find the draft plan online, and they invited council members and the public to submit questions or comments through the posted window.