PoliticsNY’s latest special edition, Inside Government: Public Schools features the government officials shaping New York’s public schools and overall educational landscape. Today’s Q&A is with New York State Senator John C. Liu. Senator Liu is chair of the New York City Education Committee and represents the 16th Senate District in Queens.
What are your current education-focused legislative priorities?
I introduced legislation to require the instruction of Asian American history in public schools as a means to educate young people and eradicate learned hatred and harmful stereotypes. Last year, we passed the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Education Equity Act to survey how and where Asian American history is currently incorporated into classrooms, building significant momentum toward the end goal of incorporating a statewide curriculum.
How does the work of your committee impact everyday New Yorkers?
Education is among the greatest responsibilities of our government, and ensuring all students have access to sound, basic public education is incalculably beneficial for New Yorkers, modern society and the future.
Is there a piece of education-focused legislation that you are proud to have passed?
The class size legislation capping NYC’s classrooms at 20 for K-5, 23 for 6-7, and 25 in high school was a tremendous success and the result of decades of advocacy and lawsuits that found NYC school kids were being deprived of a sound, basic education.
What changes would you like to see made to New York’s education system?
This past session, we modified the Foundation Aid formula, which determines how much funding goes to NYC public schools, to provide additional weights for students in temporary housing and foster care and increased weights for English Language Learners. In the upcoming session, we will continue to push for Foundation Aid reforms to account for the higher cost of living in NYC by updating the Regional Cost Index and increasing the temporary housing weight.
How do you expect the educational landscape in New York to change over the next five years?
We recently extended the deadline for NYC public schools to comply with the class size law, with full implementation expected by 2030. In the years ahead, NYC will hire more teachers, find new space and build new schools to meet the requirements and ensure every student has the best learning environment possible. At the same time, schools must grapple with generative AI’s growing influence, and I look forward to engaging with stakeholders.
