NEW YORK CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
The New York City School District has experienced the largest increase in enrollment of all of the nation's school districts, growing by 99,434 students between 1984 and 1994. State estimates place total K-12 enrollment on October 1, 1996 was 1,075,605. The greatest growth can be found in the early grade levels, and immigration is a major source of their growth.
Overcrowding is widespread and extensive. Twelve of the 32 community school districts are over 100 percent capacity at the elementary and junior high school level. Governor Pataki is expected to sign a measure similar to California's in which class sizes will be reduced. As a result, New York City will have to find more classroom space and hire many additional teachers. New York City high schools are organized by borough; four of the five boroughs are experiencing school overcrowding (all but Staten Island). Queens is experiencing the most overcrowding in New York City.
The City is considering several different avenues to increase seating capacity -- leasing new facilities, adding transportables and modulars, rehabilitating existing facilities to increase size, new construction, and converting schools to a year-round schedule. A major barrier to year-round education is that schools on a year-round schedule would require air conditioning, and the majority of the schools do not currently have air conditioning facilities. In the short term, school additions, transportables, and modulars are located, for example, in the playgrounds of existing schools. Impediments to new school construction include the lack of available space and the time it takes to build a new school building.
The fiscal year 1997 Board of Education capital plan was just over $1 billion, out of a total City capital budget of just over $4 billion. In general, the Board of Education receives about $1 billion a year for its capital program needs, including seating capacity needs. For fiscal year 1997, $90 million was budgeted for transportables and modulars to address short-term seating needs. The current capital plan for fiscal year 1998 includes $28 million for transportables (5,400 seats), $175 million for modulars (9,600 seats), and $23 million for new leasing and renovations (4,400 seats).
New York City does not have voter-approved debt. However, the New York State legislature recently approved a bond proposal that will be on the ballot in November 1997. This referendum, the School Facility, Health, and Safety Act, if passed, will allow the state to float $2.4 billion in bonds.
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