Dear Judy,

How many classes are teachers supposed to teach in a day? My daughter's class was merged with another. Now she is in a cramped room, with no desks, just chairs, and more than 30 kids. I attended curriculum night and when I asked why they went from three classes to two on her grade level, the teachers said the principal decided on it. Teachers are only teaching five periods a day.

Concerned mother

Dear Concerned mother:

It sounds like your daughter's principal is faced with a familiar situation these days -- not enough money to keep class size low. Evidently, the principal found that he could maintain the number of kids allowed in a class according to the teachers' contract by combining two classes into one. That way, only two teachers, not three, would have to be budgeted.<!--more-->

The teachers' contract requires that there be no more than a certain number of kids per class depending on grade level: 25 in kindergarten, 28 in grades 1-3, 32 in 4-6th grade, 30 in Title I middle schools, 33 in non-Title 1 middle schools and 34 in high school. For advice on how to lower class size in your school, or to support a citywide effort, see Class Size Matters, an organization that promotes reducing class sizes. Teachers can file a complaint if the classes are a certain amount above the mandated size, and your school's union chapter may have already done so.

No desks or tables? That can only be a temporary situation. Work with the School Leadership Team and the parent coordinator to solve the problem. If it persists, move up the line with your complaint: contact the district family advocate, the district superintendent, the Office of Family Engagement and Advocacy, the director of enrollment, or even  the chancellor, until you get results. See our Basics page on Department of Education contacts for how to reach them. You might also want to attend one of your district's monthly Community Education Council meetings. Many CEC's have put the budget and class size on their agenda this year, and, if they haven't you can raise the issue.

Generally a teacher has a six hour, 20-minute day, plus 37 1/2 minutes extra on Mondays-Thursdays for tutoring, and an additional 50-minute duty-free lunch.  That usually comes to five teaching periods per day, plus "prep periods" and professional periods which include such activities as one to one tutoring or advising a student club. The actual number of periods varies with the school's level, Title I status, and other variables, such as whether the school schedules seven or eight periods a day, what kind of state accreditation a teacher has, and more.

You can find specifics about the teachers' contract on the UFT website.

If I were you, I would ask the Parents Association to put the issue of class size on top of the agenda for this year.  Good luck!

Judy