Budget restores cuts, primes city for C4E debate

Posted by Tanner Kroeger at 11:25 AM

The City Council agreed with the mayor on a $59.1 billion budget last night that restores $129 million in proposed education cuts. The agreement comes days away from the July 1 deadline. The teacher’s union, which had been vocal in its opposition to proposed budget cuts, applauded the agreement.

“I’m very proud of the education community,” said Sarah Morgridge, of city council education committee chair Robert Jackson’s office. “People moved beyond their own school. They stood together and looked at the bigger picture.”

On the funding front, many will now turn their attention to Contracts for Excellence (C4E). Morgridge said she wonders if Bloomberg et al are posed to push City Council and the state “to take the strings off C4E funding.” C4E funding is the fruit of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) settlement with the state, and therefore, protected by law.

With the city's budget now on the books, keep track of the C4E debate with our calendar, and, of course, this blog.