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NYC school budget negotiations between the mayor and city council hit an impasse
By
Jessica Gould
and
Christopher Werth
Published Jul 22, 2022
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John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit
By
Jessica Gould
and
Christopher Werth
Published Jul 22, 2022
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Sources close to the negotiations between the Adams administration and the City Council to restore funding to the city’s public schools said the deal has hit an impasse.
According to two sources within the City Council, the Adams administration has offered to restore $250 million in funding to schools only if the council will agree to sign a joint statement that future cuts to schools will be necessary in later years unless enrollment rebounds or the state or federal government provide additional money. The sources asked to remain anonymous so as not to hinder negotiations with the mayor’s office. So far, the council has refused to accept those terms. Council members are also seeking clarity around the precise total of the cuts the education department has planned.
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office confirmed that a deal had not been reached but did not provide comment on why the negotiations had stalled.
Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Council members have been in discussions to restore funding to schools since June, according to the sources within the City Council, but negotiations have heated up in recent weeks as principals have had to let go of teachers and the cuts have come under increased scrutiny from parents. Sources said the mayor and Schools Chancellor David Banks have been directly involved in the negotiations.
The Adams administration cut $215 million from schools due to enrollment declines as part of the city budget in June. Since then, that estimate has grown. City Comptroller Brad Lander has said that schools are facing a net reduction of at least $372 million, based on publicly available data.
Speaking on the Brian Lehrer Show Friday morning, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said the education department did not provide the City Council with accurate information as the budget was being negotiated about what the cuts to school budgets would entail — which are based on declining enrollment at city schools.
She said education department officials claimed the reductions “would just be primarily vacancies being eliminated but we know, we now know, it's led to schools losing key staff and entire programs.”
School principals have already begun to cut a range of staff positions in response to the reductions to individual school budgets, eliminating arts teachers, social workers, general education teachers, school aides or language programs. Many have said class sizes will likely grow as a result.
Nathaniel Styer, a Department of Education (DOE) spokesperson, took issue with the speaker's remarks. He said the budget passed in June was transparent , as was the mayor's preliminary budget released in February.
“Respectfully to Speaker Adams and all Members of the City Council, the DOE has been transparent and honest from the beginning of this budget process about the challenges and opportunities facing our schools in light of falling enrollment," Styer said.
"The DOE is not a party to budget negotiations and we have a responsibility to operate within the boundaries of the adopted budget, but the DOE honestly answered all questions and provided any documentation the Council requested at multiple hearings and meetings," Styer said. "Our schools are funded based on a formula, which is driven in large part by enrollment and has been in place for over a decade. We agree that this formula should be reviewed and our working group to address those issues beings meeting next week in partnership with the Council and school stakeholders."
Parents and educators have interrupted the mayor’s public appearances over the past two weeks, chanting “restore the cuts” and urging him to use some of the city’s remaining federal stimulus money to bring budgets back up to the past year’s level. Adams met with a handful of those parents at City Hall on Monday afternoon.
Parents and teachers have also filed a lawsuit requesting a temporary restraining order on the cuts.
And some parents also protested outside the council speaker's office on Thursday to assert that a restoration of $250 million would not be enough to keep school budgets whole.
Even if a deal goes through, it is not yet clear which schools would see budget relief, and a deal would likely come too late to reverse some decisions principals have already made.
“At this point most of our excessed teachers have found new positions so there is no hope of getting them back, which is really unfortunate,” one Brooklyn principal said. Still, he said, “I would take any penny we can get. Even after cutting four teachers and possibly one more, we don’t don’t have enough funds for after school sports, theater program, etc.”
Another principal, also in Brooklyn, said the problem is that the enrollment projections for the school are too low, and fixing that is an essential first step.
Tagged
Adrienne Adams
schools
Budget cuts
City Council
eric adams
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Christopher Werth
Christopher is a senior editor focusing on investigations. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 646-939-6511
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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