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Teacher Layoffs To Feature Prominently In Bloomberg's Budget
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 17, 2011
Modified Feb 17, 2011
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By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 17, 2011
Modified Feb 17, 2011
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Mayor Bloomberg's "bleak budget," to be announced today, will include laying off 4,666 teachers. According to the NY Times, "The mayor, according to a preview of his budget released on Wednesday, will threaten to eliminate 6,166 teaching positions in total: 4,666 through layoffs and 1,500 through attrition. That would reduce the 75,000-person teaching force by 8 percent, and it would be the first time the city has laid off significant numbers of teachers since the 1970s."
Bloomberg, who had previously threatened to lay off over 20,000 teachers, also wants to push the idea of firing the most incompetent teachers, instead of the most recently hired (which would flout the current union process). Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson said in a statement, "The only thing worse than laying off teachers would be laying off the wrong teachers." But United Federation of Teachers president Michael Mulgrew said, "He continues, we feel, to use this as a political game, rather than making sure he's protecting the schools and children of New York City."
Even though the city admits that tax revenues will come in $2 billion higher than projected, it's not enough to spare the educators.
Tagged
budget
education
layoffs
mayor bloomberg
teachers
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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