Local public schools are being asked to come up with their own plans to help New York City meet new caps on class sizes in exchange for extra funding next school year, Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos announced Thursday. The program is optional and up to principals who consult with teams of 10 or more parents and staff. Schools that develop plans will submit funding requests as part of their applications, evaluated by a committee that includes teachers and principals union representation. “As a former teacher and principal, I know that smaller classes mean more engaged students,” Aviles-Ramos said in a statement. The new caps are part of a state law that requires class sizes in the city stay below 20 to 25 students, depending on their grade level. By next fall, 60% of classrooms must be in compliance; the law will be fully phased in by 2028. “We believe this approach will allow schools to be the primary drivers of the next, critical, phase of class size reduction,” read an email to principals obtained by the Daily News. It was not immediately clear how much funding a school may qualify for. The school system has yet to finalize a total allocation for the program, spokesmen confirmed, citing the upcoming budget processes at both the city and state level. Among the strategies suggested Thursday are using remote instruction to reduce the need for physical space in schools, with a caveat that families cannot be involuntarily assigned online classes. Spokesmen said they are not asking principals to accept fewer students to their schools — a source of controversy for parents concerned about losing access to popular programs. “Allowing principals to ‘apply’ for class size funds is not an actual plan to get to full compliance, just as allowing people to sign up for the draft doesn’t constitute a plan to win a war,” said Leonie Haimson, executive director of the advocacy group Class Size Matters. Haimson noted the plan will not create more physical space or accelerate construction, but the city’s teachers union, another proponent of the law, cheered its next step toward implementation. “This is the opportunity parents and educators wanted,” said Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers. “School communities with the space to reduce their class sizes can apply for the funds to hire the staff to make it happen in September.” Applications are due by Dec. 20. Schools that qualify for the funding will be notified by the end of February.