Overcrowding is a Growing Issue

Parents and teachers in New York City have all noticed the dramatic increase in student enrollment, especially in high-performing high schools. City education officials admitted that in some cases there would be more students than last year. However, "more students" seems to mean hundreds. According to Randi Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers, more than 11,000 classes in the city alone exceed the student limit of their contracts. She also suggested the four main reasons were: budget and staff cuts, the opening of small schools that don't make use of their larger space, computer software that schedules classes, and new enrollment policies that allow more students into the schools. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/24/education/24school.html