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May 6, 2011

Mayor Bloomberg’s budget preserves cut of 6,100 teaching jobs

by Anna Phillips, at 1:23 pm

Bloomberg announced his budget today, which continues to propose thousands of teacher layoffs.

Mayor Bloomberg reaffirmed his plans to cut 6,000 teaching jobs in his budget address today and said that even if the state restores some funding, he will not promise use it to avoid teacher layoffs.

The budget for 2012 includes 4,100 teacher layoffs and the loss of an additional 2,000 teaching jobs through attrition. These job losses would amount to an eight percent decrease in the size of the teaching force — from 75,000 teachers down to about 69,000.

If the layoffs become a reality — threats in the last two years never bore fruit — it will be the first time since the 1970s that the city has laid off public school teachers. City officials have previously estimated that these layoffs will save the city roughly $300 million.

In his budget presentation today, the mayor blamed cuts to school spending from the city and state for the impending layoffs. In 2002, the city and state each covered roughly 50 percent of the city’s education costs. Next fiscal year, the state will contribute 39 percent and the city will fund the remainder. This year, the city has also lost $850 million in federal stimulus funding for schools.

The latest estimate of how many teacher layoffs are needed is down from projections released several months ago. In February, the city estimated that 4,675 potential layoffs would be distributed across its nearly 1,600 schools and the city’s different neighborhoods. Under this plan, more than half of all teacher layoffs would affect elementary school teachers.

A spokesman for the mayor, Marc LaVorgna, said the layoff estimates had changed because the city is now projecting that a greater number of teachers will leave the city through attrition.

“It’s based on all the available data we have at this time, such what information we’re getting from schools,” LaVorgna said.

He said that in light of the new layoff and attrition estimates, the city will have to recalculate how many teachers each school stands to lose under the “last in, first out” layoff law. The projections the city released in February are no longer accurate.

Today’s budget also includes planned job cuts to the Department of Education’s central office, all of which are through attrition rather than layoffs. In total, the job cuts in the central office as well as in the field services — people who help schools with things like budgeting and special education compliance — comes to 155 positions.

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  • Cjacobs

    Why don’ t they cut some of the administrators? With all the little HS’s there seems to be a glut of them.

  • bee

    There seems to be an abundance of money to be spent on “education” entrepreneurs, tech consultants and high stakes testing companies, yet no money to retain the heart of our public schools, the teachers. It’s fairly obvious that the autocrat is engaged in an infantile game of chicken at the expense of our public schools. Bloomberg needs to have his head examined.

  • Louiskinmore

    So as of right now, which teachers get the axe??

  • Louiskinmore

    So as of right now, which teachers get the axe??

  • Michael Fiorillo

    How polite of Gotham Schools’ headline to say that Bloomberg is going to “preserve” something, namely, the layoffs of over 4,000 teachers. It’s comforting to know that this man, who is intent on destroying public education in NYC, is interested in preservation, and that Gotham Schools makes the effort to phrase things accordingly.

    Let’s see: did Joe McCarthy “preserve” his effort to smear and blacklist innocent people in the 1950′s? Did the Communist Party of China “preserve” it’s effort to massacre demonstrators in Tianamen Square? Is Qadaffi “preserving” his effort to attack civilians attempting to flee Libya?

    In years past, journalists would have used a verb such as “slash” to describe what the mayor is doing, but we must watch our language around our Bloomberg’s delicate sensibilities, mustn’t we? Otherwise he might call your hedge fund backers and complain that you hurt his feelings by writing honestly.

  • GC

    Not just his head, his heart.

  • Jodama

    The mayor must get his way. Let’s not forget the elected officials who handed over the school system to him. Let’s not forget Christine Quinn when she runs for mayor who gave him a third term. Mayoral control must end.

  • Anonymous

    Budget go out to schools, principals return with cuts by license area, DoE generate layoff notices, in 1975 the notices went out the week before school opened! Teachers are placed on a recall list … all by seniority within license. City budget has to be passed by the City Council by 6/30 … budget is not final until passed by the Council. Usually “bumping” is equal to the number of teachers laid off … a chaotic school opening, all due to the intransigence of a lame duck mayor.

  • Anonymous

    Budget go out to schools, principals return with cuts by license area, DoE generate layoff notices, in 1975 the notices went out the week before school opened! Teachers are placed on a recall list … all by seniority within license. City budget has to be passed by the City Council by 6/30 … budget is not final until passed by the Council. Usually “bumping” is equal to the number of teachers laid off … a chaotic school opening, all due to the intransigence of a lame duck mayor.

  • Jodama

    Oh, one more thing – let’s not forget the UFT who allowed him to run virtually unopposed.

  • Jodama

    Oh, one more thing – let’s not forget the UFT who allowed him to run virtually unopposed.

  • Pingback: Streetsblog New York City » Mayor’s Budget Includes Parking Meter Rate Hike, Red Light Cam Expansion

  • Enough

    The headline seems like a difficult one to write, given that there is an element of preserving something, but that something is “cuts”. I agree, though, that this is probably part of a vast right/center/left conspiracy.

  • Third Year Teacher

    Happy Teacher Appreciation Week…I thought for sure he would have at least reduced the number…

  • Kimwa222

    Stop blaming Albany, UFT, and LIFO and take responsibility. Mayoral control means the mayor made this mess, he needs to clean it up!!!

  • http://www.anurbanteacherseducation.com The Reflective Educator

    I’m surprised there’s no mention here of the money going to consultants. Which is most likely to have the largest benefit for kids? I’m guessing it’s the people who work closest to them.

  • GC

    The newly elected Bloomberg made an offer that they couldn’t refuse: Give me the authority to improve the schools, and then hold me accountable for the results. Sol Stern 2007

    Control l Stern

  • John G

    You’re surprised? We’re talking about bloomberg here

  • Sick of Bloomberg

    There are many different kinds of terrorists in this world. The one thing they have in common is that they believe their way is the only way and ue threats to get their way This week, one terrorist was killed in Pakistan but another lives on in New York City. Both have done great damage to New York City. The surviving one does it under a poor cloak of legitimacy. Let no one doubt, the more dangerous of the two, and the less principled, can be found at Tweed.

  • Math Teacher

    So layoffs plus a hiring freeze. Did I choose the wrong profession. Thank you Bloomberg for making impossible to be a teacher in this city.

  • Ms. Ty

    I love this system. No one knows what the hell is going on and there is about 25% attendance at my school. What a dream job to have dopes in charge with no clue of what’s going on. I will keep my 100K salary and am looking forward to summer break.I’m passing all my students no matter what! I need to pad my scholorship ya know.

  • Michael M. (parent still)

    Oh come on Ken; enough of what? Decrying the doubletalk?
    “Preserve” would be appropriate if the teaching positions were, um, er, preserved. Orwell would be proud. MF’s point is well made, if not well taken.

    Left and center don’t deserve to be tarred with your broad brush.

    Suggested headline: “Emperor Bloomberg follows through on threat to fire 6,100 teachers regardless of impact on schools.”

  • Michael M. (parent still)

    Note that the Mayor is also proposing massive cuts to the Capital Plan.

    Now if only he could figger out how to get rid of all those pesky kids. Other than the ones in charters, of course.

  • http://mrlscience.blogspot.com Mr. L

    Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

  • Mr. J

    It is a hiring freeze in name only. They are still bringing in a new cohort of teaching fellows. How will the mayor explain that one? Oh yes, they are in “shortage areas.” Couldn’t they train teachers in existing license titles to move into special education? Of course, and they would probably do it well. But they want the new teachers to be at the first salary step.

  • Math Teacher

    The principals call it a hiring freeze and I could get hired as special ed but I cant afford do finish the license without a job. I want to teach I took the long way not being a fellow and now I’m a sub teaching everyday because a school is trying hard to keep me. Bloomberg you created a mess.

  • Michael Fiorillo

    No, Ken, not a conspiracy – that’s just your attempt to trivialize my point – but a preponderance of language and reportage uncritically accepting the slanted, conventional narrative of budgets and taxation, resulting in the manufacturing of consent.

  • Larry Littlefield

    The amount of money proposed to be spent on the Department of Education is proposed to go up. It has soared since 2008. And yet we get far fewer teachers. Why?

    Because more money is going to more retirees, following a series of pension enhancements over 17 years that no one paid for. That’s why.

    We were robbed.

  • Guest

    Enough of the retirement complaints. As of 2008 NYC Teachers Pensions were over 100% covered. Any money lost was because of Wall street scum stealing hard working peoples retirement- legally and illegally. The pension fund went up about 15% in the last year in a half. Teachers earn what we get in retirement and it is state law that the state/city pay in and we get paid first. When Wall street was making money the city had no problem spending the extra money.

    The money is being spent on administrators, consultants and people at the Dept of ed.

  • bee

    Actually, Larry, you are wrong. The money has gone towards tech consultants, a bloated DOE staff, and high stakes testing companies among other things. Yes we were robbed, but not in the manner you speak of.

  • Latest News In Pakistan

    The one thing they have in common is that they believe their way is the only way and ue threats to get their way This week, one terrorist was killed in Pakistan but another lives on in New York City. Both have done great damage to New York City. The surviving one does it under a poor cloak of legitimacy.
    Latest News in Pakistan

  • Pingback: educationinformationonline.com » Blog Archive » When Teachers Take to the Streets

  • Pingback: educationinformationonline.com » Blog Archive » When Teachers Take to the Streets

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