PROBLEM NUMBER 1

Blas has no idea how many teachers are needed

The city still does not have a grasp on school-staffing needs a week before the long-delayed start of in-person learning for K-12 kids, Mayor de Blasio said Tuesday.

“I like to be straightforward when there isn’t yet a final number,” Hizzoner said at his daily press briefing when asked for a specific figure.

“The bottom line is, we’ve had until now a changing situation with the number of teachers available, the number of students available,” de Blasio explained.

As of Friday, 54 percent of city kids are enrolled in a hybrid learning model that will have them alternate between in-person and remote classes.

That number stood at 71 percent just five weeks ago and has ticked down in recent weeks.

Despite the continuing staffing uncertainties, de Blasio said he was confident that needs would be met when the system partially reopens next week.

“The hiring is speeding up much the way we need it to,” he said.

Parents were jolted earlier this month when the Department of Education conceded that live instruction was not guaranteed for kids enrolled in remote learning due to teacher shortages.

De Blasio said Tuesday that schools are trying to plug those gaps, but he stopped short of pledging live teaching for all kids enrolled in the hy Asked brid format.

“A lot of schools are already doing a synchronous model for a lot of that learning,” he said. “That’s going to keep growing through the next few weeks.” about the steady increase in parents opting out of classroom learning, de Blasio said he expects that trend to reverse as the school year stabilizes.

“A number of parents are going to watch how the first weeks go, and then they know they have another bite at the apple to decide literally in a matter of weeks if they want their kids to come in then,” he said.

“It’s our job to show [everyone] how effectively our schools will move forward.”

De Blasio said he was encouraged by the relatively smooth start of the year for 3-K, pre-K and some special-ed youngsters this week.

NO PLACE LIKE DOME: Diners at Cafe du Soleil on the Upper West Side experience outdoor dining with indoor comfort in bubbles the French eatery installed as temps drop.

COUNTING HEADS: Mayor de Blasio says Tuesday the flux in those opting for hybrid learning has affected the staffing needs for city schools.