NYC parents and advocates frustrated and angry with results of this
year’s state budget for our schools
Naila Rosario,
President of NYC Kids PAC, said, “We’re very disappointed that the Legislature
and the Governor have decided to renew NYC mayoral control for another three
years with only minor tweaks, enabling one-man rule to continue. An additional member to the Panel for
Educational Policy will be elected by Community Education Councils and another will
be appointed by the mayor, who will keep his supermajority and be allowed to
fire any of his appointees at will, as long as he gives a ten-day warning explaining
his decision. As a result, the Mayor’s unilateral authority will have no
effective checks and balances. NYC
parents, local elected officials and community members will remain as disempowered
as before. There is no reason that
something as important as the future of NYC school governance should be rolled
into the budget, rather than carefully considered, debated and voted on separately.”
“The failure to fully
fund the promise of CFE is also extremely disheartening,” said Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters. “Despite
the fact that the Assembly and Senate proposed adding $1.2 billion to the
education budget as a down payment for the $4.1 billion still owed our schools,
instead there will be only a $50 million increase over last year. The state
will continue to shortchange NYC schools by at least $600 million – less than what could
have been raised by a tax on pied-a-terre homes. The only good thing about the education budget
is that the Contracts for Excellence program remains – with the smidgen of transparency
and accountability that it requires, including NYC’s obligation to lower class
size, which parents have sued DOE to carry out.”
Shino Tanikawa,
District 2 parent leader and NYC Kids PAC member concluded: “Parent leaders
have asked for amendments to Mayoral control every year since 2015. Thanks
largely to Senators Liu and Jackson, this year some of the changes are
incorporated. While I appreciate these small improvements, I am
disappointed the legislature did not establish a commission to evaluate the
school governance system. Additionally, I am deeply concerned by the
level of Foundation Aid funding. After the Senate and Assembly one-house
budgets, the rug was pulled from right under us and our children will continue
to suffer in large classes for another year. When do we start
prioritizing the future of our State by providing a sound basic education to
all our children?”
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