For Immediate Release
May 21, 2008 6:01 PM
New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein summoned reporters to city Department of Education headquarters at the Tweed Courthouse on May 21 to say that the city plans to ask Albany for “flexibility” to spend $258 million in Contract for Excellence funds with fewer state restrictions on how the money is to be used. Without that flexibility, Klein threatened to cut the budgets of 74 city schools by more than 5 percent. More than 400 other schools would face budget cuts of more than 3 percent, he said. Upon learning about the chancellor’s press briefing, UFT President Randi Weingarten and more than a dozen other members of the Keep the Promises Coalition, which is fighting to safeguard city schools against budget cuts, walked to Tweed to give reporters their views on the chancellor’s proposals.
List of schools receiving the largest percentage cut in their school budgets for 2008-09
“It is the height of hubris for the city to blame its education budget problems on the state, which was the only government entity that stepped up for New York City’s school children. The state kept its promise to our kids by providing an additional $600 million in education aid and greater accountability. Now instead of asking the city to use some of its $4 billion surplus to make up for its education budget shortfall, Chancellor Joel Klein is turning again to the state.
Mayor Bloomberg understands the need to use surplus money when it comes to the important priority of increasing salaries for our police force. I think all would agree that our children’s education is equally important.
The Department of Education claims it wants the flexibility to spend state education funds as it sees fit, but what it really wants is the flexibility to mask the extent of the cuts because it’s the city’s budget formula that’s causing the problem. Rather than playing games with the budget, the Mayor and the Chancellor should do right by our kids by providing the resources necessary to help schools most in need and immunizing schools that are doing well against budget cuts.”