The number of NYC elementary and middle school classes defined as "overcrowded" under the contract between the city and the UFT has more than doubled compared to last year, according to grievances filed by the union. NY Sun story is here. It is important to note that some areas, as usual, seem to get screwed more than others. My kids (amazingly) seem never to have had more than about 20 students, but I know that isn't nearly the case elsewhere, especially in neighborhoods that got shortchanged by the politics of the old Board of Ed when it came time to build new schools.

Best quote in the stories on all of this comes from Leonie Haimson, of the group Class Size Matters, in the Daily News, calling on the city to properly staff its schools and classes at the start of the school year, not later in the fall when enrollment evens out. "The idea that if you somehow address it within a few weeks it doesn't matter is ridiculous," Haimson said. "It creates a lot of chaos at the beginning of the year when they should be hunkered down and focused on their work."

She's right. This is work for the grownups (including the UFT, which understands the importance of stability from day one of the school year) to nail down. In a city with as much movement and over-the-counter enrollees as it has, it certainly isn't easy. But if things don't really get settled in classrooms until Columbus Day, it is just wasted time for everyone involved.