By: Don Driggers
New York City schools are always facing challenges as the largest school system in America.
Even as enrollment drops, with nearly a million students, there are 300,000 more students than Los Angeles, the next largest district. The New York Post reports, “the city’s Department of Education is determined to attract families to the public school system — but is bracing for the reality if it can’t. Schools Chancellor David Banks addressed the City Council’s education committee Monday on the proposed education budget, which accounts for student enrollment predictions and trends. Previously during the pandemic, schools did not lose funding if enrollment dropped.”
The city’s budget, which would determine educational spending. The New York Post reported Monday, “Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday unveiled his $98.5 billion preliminary budget for fiscal 2023 — which includes a slight shrinkage of already massive city spending by $200 million that he claimed will result in more than $2 billion in savings. During a speech from City Hall, Adams decried “decades of inefficiency and wasteful spending” in the past and bragged that he’d “taken the very first steps to turn this city around” with his first budget proposal. “Fiscal discipline will be a hallmark of my administration,” he said.
“Adams’ plan also includes cutting the Department of Education’s budget by more than $826 million, or 2.6 percent, to about $30.7 billion. Reduced enrollment in the nation’s largest school system and the elimination of more than 3,200 open jobs will account for about $375 million in savings, City Hall said”, according to The New York Post.
Another $405 million of the cut came from the expiration of the retroactive pay requirements under the city’s agreement with the United Federation of Teachers, City Hall said. Funding of city schools is directly tied to enrollment and the Big Apple has lost about 9 percent of students in kindergarten through 12th grade over the past two years, according to state figures. Adams said he expected some families with school-age kids that fled the city due to the pandemic would return if he can bring down crime. “We believe we’re going to get the enrollments up,” he said. “If we ensure the city is safe, you’re going to see a massive return to the city.”
Following the release of Hizzoner’s plan, the DOE said it would earmark $240 million in federal stimulus funds to help administrators cover costs during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years. “This investment will provide continued stability as schools adjust to enrollment changes,” the DOE said in a statement to The New York Post.
