New York City public schools serving the poorest students could lose $170 million in federal funding if an amendment to the federal education reauthorization bill is approved, warned New York Sen. Charles Schumer at a press conference on July 13.

“This amendment would take a hatchet to crucial federal funding, which means New York City schools could lose out on tens of millions and for New York as a whole, that number hits $300 million,” said Schumer. The senator vowed to fight the amendment when the bill is considered in the U.S. Senate later this week.

Karen Alford, the UFT vice president for elementary schools, said the amendment, if rolled into the final bill, would be a devastating blow to the city’s schools and praised Schumer for his efforts to derail it. “Our students and teachers cannot afford this kind of hit in the classroom,” she said, as she ticked off some of the services Title 1 pays for – additional teachers to lower class sizes, academic intervention services for struggling students, AP courses and parent outreach.

"It's hard to imagine any adult willfully depriving children of resources, but that is what the Senate could do by taking $170 million from New York City's Title I funding. We are calling on members of the Senate to act like responsible adults as opposed to thieves in the night with our children's education,” Alford said.

Schumer sounded the alarm at a press conference at PS 116 in the Kips Bay neighborhood on the east side of Manhattan. The bill to reauthorize the principal piece of federal legislation governing K-12 schools has been under discussion for months. The new amendment, he said, would radically alter how Title I education funds, earmarked for low-income students, are allocated across the nation.

Under current law, states that invest in education with high average per-pupil spending and that spend a high percentage on education relative to per capita income are rewarded for the effort. But under the proposal by Sen. Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, those criteria would be removed, hurting states that put significant resources into public education and favoring rural states.

“This amendment turns things on its head and gives more money to schools that spend a lot less on education. So it is rewarding bad behavior,” said Schumer, adding that a reduction of $170 million for New York City would amount to 24 percent of the city’s current Title 1 allocation.

At PS/MS 31 in the South Bronx, Title 1 money helps pay for after-school programs, additional teachers, school supplies for homeless students and extra help for English language learners, said middle school teacher Bill Woodruff. Any reduction in the school’s more than $700,000 in Title 1 funding would hurt the most vulnerable students, he said.

“My school draws from many homeless shelters, and we educate students who are very low income,” Woodruff said. “I would really, really implore the citizens of New York to reach out and help Sen. Schumer and reach out to Congress – for my students and for all our kids who need these funds.”

Savanity Davis, a resource coordinator at PS 19 in Corona, said her school receives about $1 million in Title 1 funds. With just over 2,000 students, including many English language learners, PS 19 is the largest K-5 elementary school in the nation, she said.

“It would be devastating to drastically change the funding for our Title 1 in this way,” Davis said.

The proposed Every Child Achieves Act would reauthorize the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was last reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act under President George W. Bush in 2001.