Wednesday, January 22, 2020

CUOMO CALLS FOR 3% INCREASE IN SCHOOL SPENDING

Yesterday Governor Andrew Cuomo presented his executive budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Many were worried that there would be a cut to education funding or aid to New York City because of a projected $6.1 billion gap in the state budget. Relax folks, the funding is coming to the schools, although nearly not as much as education advocates feel is necessary.

From City and State:

$178 billion: That’s Cuomo’s proposed total spending in the upcoming budget, a relatively small 1.2% increase over this year’s $176 billion budget, and well within Cuomo’s oft-stated pledge to keep growth below 2%.

$2.5 billion: Cuomo is once again assembling a so-called Medicaid Redesign Team, which he last did in 2011, with a goal in finding that much annual savings from the state’s administration of the federal health care program for low-income New Yorkers. It’s likely to be a difficult goal. State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli released a Medicaid audit last week finding ways to save only $800 million.

0: Cuomo promised “zero impact on local governments” from the Medicaid redesign – as long as those city and county governments stayed within a 3% cap on growth. It’s yet to be seen whether this will calm local leaders like de Blasio.

$826 million: The planned increase in local education spending, which Cuomo deemed the “largest foundation aid increase of my administration.” When Cuomo faced a $10 billion budget deficit in 2011, he actually cut school aid by $2.7 billion. This year, he promised no cuts, and proposed raising education spending to $28.5 billion – the largest line item in the budget.

3%: Despite the deficit, Cuomo hopes to increase both education and Medicaid spending by that much. “I don’t think any New Yorker would want to choose between health care and education, and I don’t think our government should either,” he said. Instead of enacting cuts, Cuomo said he plans to close the budget gap by reducing the rate of growth. 

Once the State Assembly and State Senate add some more by the April 1 budget deadline, it looks as though there will be no great changes or cuts. For education there should a decent amount of money coming to the school districts in fiscal year 2021. Just as in years past, I very much doubt that much, if any, of the increase in funding will find its way to the classroom in many schools in NYC.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Class size will remain the same and the teacher bashing will continue as usual. Oh yeah, all the lawyers at "legal" will still be working for the DOE. Oh wait, I forgot to mention that the current insane student discipline policy will still be with us. In other words, it's a shit sandwich and we're all gonna have to take a bitel

Anonymous said...

There is an obscene amount of waste going in the DOE. Completely top heavy with admins for everything, most of them doing nothing. All this while schools are allotted 90% according to Bloomberg’s rules and Fair Student Funding, which remains unchallenged by the corrupt UFT. Cuomo should cut the the NYCDOE budget by 25% to facilitate a system wide trimming of the fat in the DOE. Choose between admins in offices trolling for teen sex or teachers. Of course, they’ll choose the pediophiles over teachers, but at least the public would know and Mulgrew would have to get off his fat ass and do some work.

Anonymous said...

any $$ set aside for a buyout?

ed notes online said...

Chaz reports Cuomo budget increases charters in NYC.

James Eterno said...

Thanks Norm. I was only reporting on the money, not the charter issue.

Anonymous said...

So honestly, what is the worst admin can do to a tenured teacher? I had a terrible observation and was spoken to about it. What's really the worst that can happen? Just want some sort of idea of what to anticipate

Anonymous said...

Please be specific. How will a 3% increase improve anything? What will change for teachers on a day to day basis?

Anonymous said...

Came back from a 6 week medical leave today. Got observed by my AP at 8:50 this morning

Anonymous said...

Is it legal for administration to video tape you without your knowledge throughout the day? And if so, can this videotape be used against you in a disciplinary hearing? At what point can admins behavior be considered administrative harassment?

Anonymous said...

Does anyone work at a school where they actually discipline students and hold them accountable for their actions?

Anonymous said...

I constantly see these posts about teachers asking if they should take their days. Just remember something, when it’s all said and done and you are going to retire 1. You only get two for 1 when giving in your days at the end 2. Would you regret missing a day off with family or friends? Will you remember those memories or that day you worked? This job is emotionally draining and it’s high turn over. I’m not saying take all 10 days whatsoever, but you deserve to take a day here and there to enjoy. 3. Yes, we all have absurd admin that go after you and look for any excuse to check you, but at the end of the day if you are teaching, the kids are learning, another year will pass and your job will keep going. These years go by so fast and Id hate to look back and wish I took the time to stop and enjoy it while it passed. Our kids grow too fast and life is too short to not enjoy everyone here at this moment. Anyway, all I’m saying is you can take a day here and there to be you. You deserve it in this profession.

Anonymous said...

So...
Students dont show up, we get rid of the attendance policy.
Students refuse to do hw, so we dont assign it anymore.
Students wont do anything, so we make minimum grade 45, get rid of zeroes, so we can fraud our way to 65.
Students cant conform to basic rules, so we relax the discipline code, no more suspensions.
Students cant pass honestly, we give them packets so they can make up 5 months of work in 2 days.

Anonymous said...

There is a violent culture being curated by the gangs and all these little monsters want to be a part of. Not to mention the music they hear, and games and youtube fight videos they watch. Go to the parks in the Bronx and elsewhere were gang bangers are pitting elementary and middle school kids against each other like dogs and betting on it. FIX THE GHETTO CULTURE and you won't see this shit anymore. Did you see the "winner" of the fight laughing and jumping up on the table like Rocky?! She was lauded by her peers. In the not to distant future these parts of the city will be off limits to normal acting people like they were from the 80's back. Remember when it was scary to go to certain sections of the city? Wait till it's all like that. Crips on the east side and bloods on the west and everyone else fleeing to the burbs. The end is nigh.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like doe-uft are handling this well...LOL. Good career? No. Happy paying dues? No.

Anonymous said...

The work packets can also be half ass done and copied. As long as they turn it in, who cares. One problem I see in many schools are the new young and untenured teachers who say, "Your wish is my command" to the administration. They don't want to pass the kids either, but are threatened by administration that holds tenure over them. My solution, discourage people from becoming teachers and tell the young ones to get out while they have nothing to lose. Then the city will regret it when there's a huge teaching shortage not only here but around the country. It might take a while but there really is no practical solution for teachers.

Anonymous said...

“My daughter is in school. I saved all my money just to pay student loans. Can I have my money back?”

@ewarren
: “Of course not”

“So you’re going to pay for people who didn’t save any money and those of us who did the right thing get screwed?”

Typical entitlement society. You work and save an pay. Drop dead.

You freeload, govt gives you more and more.

Anonymous said...

New York City schools had the most “violent and disruptive incidents” in the state last year — accounting for more than half, with incidents including assaults, sexual offenses and bomb threats, a new report reveals.

The data released Tuesday by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli shows 17,991 incidents out of 32,084 statewide came from Big Apple public and charter schools — or 56% of the state’s total.

That’s out of 1,817 city schools, which serve 1.1 million pupils — 40% of the state’s 2.7 million students.

“In order to learn effectively, students need to feel safe. Sadly, many students and faculty are confronted with violent and disruptive activity on a regular basis,” DiNapoli said.

Anonymous said...

I can only speak of the Bronx, but one would assume the rest of the city’s Burroughs are most likely in the same situation and that is of utter denial. These are my assessments

1.) First, the UFT is a fucking joke. They are most certainly in bed with the Mayor. There is no way anyone organization could be more inept. They know exactly what’s going on and yet Mulgrew and his sycophants haven’t lifted a finger to help anyone but themselves.

2.) Second: The liberal, love everybody policy of the Mayor and the Chancellor have back fired big time. At know time in the last 20 years have the schools been this violent.
3.) Third: Mayor DeBlassio was not the guy to run the city. If you don’t think the Education is screwed up see what his wife did to the mental health system in NYC.
4.) Fourth: Carranza was not the right guy for the job either. He came in with anti-white rhetoric and spent millions of dollars re-educating when the focus should have been on students.
5.) Fifth: Students have no fear. And why should they.
6.) Sixth: Teachers have no power what so ever.

Anonymous said...

I, a teacher, heard students on the train talking about how they dont have to go to class, they just turn in a paper at the end of the term, which they copy, paste and print from the internet.

Anonymous said...

For folks talking about taking days off: I say take days when you need them. However, I have 140 days in my CAR. By the time I retire I will have almost 200 sick days saved up which means I will be able to take terminal leave and "retire" half a year early. (Or cash in my 100 days) Take your days for sure as needed. Thats what they are for. This job is crazy and we all need a break every now and again. On the flip side, I sure do know a lot of veteran teachers with hardly any days in their CAR. I hope to god that they do not get hurt or sick anytime soon.

Anonymous said...

Statistics can show whatever the presenter wants - Bloomberg targeted certain schools and he ensured it by pulling resources and exporting high need students to them. If that didn’t work, he’d send kids released from Rikers to whatever school he wanted closed immediately. The resulting statistics would always prove his case. DeBlasio gives out diplomas like car wash flyers and penalizes any school that reports incidents. Principals have the option of having or pulling metal detectors and have the option to characterize crimes within the school and the resulting (non) consequences. He uses these statistics to prove the academic success and safety of ‘his’ schools. He’s doing the same thing with crime and the police. Two thirteen year olds and one fourteen year old were robbing people for months in Morningside Park. Their victims were turned away by the police. The suspects school (principal, deans, teachers and security), neighbors and parents must have noticed some aberrant behavior, but in this culture of selfish tunnel vision no one cares. So a talented eighteen year old kid is murdered. Let’s re-focus the blame off the city, it’s employees, parents and criminals by blaming the victim. She was in a park at 5:30PM, in what was touted as the safest large city in the world. Well, she must have up to no good, buying drugs (marijuana -that has been decriminalized). Well that backfired, so let’s make believe it never happened and everyone will forget. That seems to be working. Why is Cuomo giving more money the schools? Because that money will be used for and by new charter schools. The public will agree. Who can blame them? If the DOE and UFT refuse to improve schools, the charters will get them. The road to the privatization of the NYPD has also begun. Then jails and sanitation. You better hope Bernie gets in.

Anonymous said...

A bunch of happy campers. Keep payin those dues. Seems well worth it.