Four simple steps to take to stop devastating cuts to school budgets

As I reported a couple of days ago, budget cuts were released for schools earlier this week and they are devastating. Here is an article about the likely impact on class size and other critical services to kids. Already some teachers have said that as a result of these cuts, their principals have told them they will be excessed and no longer kept on staff next year. I have instructions on how to look up the budget cuts for your kids’ schools here; the UFT has also posted a look up tool that just contains just the cuts from Fair Student Funding, though principals tell me that other budget lines have been cut as well. The City Council seems to have woken up to this potential disaster, and these cuts are said to be the main sticking point in their negotiations with the Mayor Adams on the city’s final budget, negotiations which are going on right now and are expected to be concluded soon. 1, So, it is more important than ever that you call your Council Member today – to tell them NOT to approve ANY budget which include these budget cuts to schools which will have such damaging impacts on our children and schools. Their contact info is here. Then follow up with a call to Speaker Adrienne Adams, at 212-788-6850 or 718-206-2068. Clearly the Mayor and the Chancellor are intent on flouting the new state law, which requires them to start reducing class size next year. In a forum held last night about the DOE Contracts for Excellence plan, in which not a penny is targeted towards lowering class size, a top DOE official acknowledged “that a bill in the State pending right now about class size” and “If that bill becomes a week, you know that will have some impact on our plans for class size in the future….we are monitoring that very closely and we'll you know.” 2. Which brings me to another request: Please call Governor Hochul today at 1-518-474-8390, or send her a message here. Tell her to sign the class size bill ASAP, or else the Mayor will force NYC class sizes even higher next year, making it that much more difficult and expensive to achieve smaller classes in the future. 3. Also call the Mayor at 311.  Tell the operator that your complaint relates to education and the Mayor should withdraw his proposal to cut school budgets and instead comply with the state law and lower class size. 4. There are also two more C4E hearings via Zoom where you can express your outrage and/or dissatisfaction about these cuts directly to DOE officials, as well as challenge their refusal to proactively start planning for smaller classes next year. The first hearing is tonight, June 9 at 6 PM and the other Wed. June 15, also at 6 PM; they are supposed to be borough-based but any parent or teacher from any borough and any school can sign up to speak via Zoom, starting at 5 PM here. We have some talking points here.   By law, the DOE is supposed to summarize all the comments and provide them to the state and explain why they have or have not incorporated them into their final C4E plan, so it is important that parents and teachers tell the DOE and the State how they feel. Thanks so much, Leonie Leonie Haimson Executive Director Class Size Matters