UPDATED: C4E round 2

Posted by Tanner Kroeger at 9:00 AM

The DOE has set dates for a rapid second round of Contracts for Excellence (C4E) public hearings, where parents, community leaders and advocates can speak out on C4E funding, which by law must go to students with the greatest needs, particularly students living in poverty and English Language Learners (ELLs).

Chancellor Joel Klein's initial push to persuade Albany to redirect portions of C4E money incensed advocacy groups, including the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, which stresses that C4E funds are meant to support and not replace city spending. But since the forceful resolution of the 2008-09 schools budget, the $63 million once in question is now budgeted "entirely within the mandates" of the law, according to the DOE.

This second round will take up school-based plans for spending developed by principals and school leadership teams. DOE sources say revised proposals will post to the DOE website next week; we'll let you know when the links are live, so you can see what's on deck at your child's school.

The second round is scheduled as follows:
* Staten Island on Tuesday, July 29
* Queens on Tuesday, July 29
* Bronx on Wednesday, July 30
* Brooklyn on Wednesday, July 30
* Manhattan on Wednesday, July 30

Got any questions? Let us know.

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.

(squeak) budget passes PEP

Posted by Lindsey at 12:59 PM

The Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) passed the executive budget last night. Only one member, Manhattan representative Patrick Sullivan, voted nay. Sullivan said he was concerned that more resources were devoted to testing and charter schools while the bread-and-butter, general education classes that serve the majority of students would suffer from the cuts. Of course considering the mayor appoints 8 of the members of the panel (the 5 others are appointed by the borough presidents), it is not surprising that they passed his budget - especially in light of the mayor's history of firing members who don't agree with his decisions.

The meeting was scantily attended, despite the uproar over the budget cuts over the past few weeks, and many of the public comments had nothing to do with the budget vote. Meanwhile, one uninvited participant - a small brown mouse - darted around the audiences' feet at the MLK High School Complex auditorium. Chancellor Klein, who looked exhausted, sounded relieved to close the session and the monthly PEP meetings for the school year.

A toast to test scores

Posted by Lindsey at 5:15 PM

It was a love-fest today at PS 178 for New York City’s educational leadership. Ongoing battles over budget cuts were tabled (momentarily) as the Mayor, Chancellor Joel Klein, UFT president Randi Weingarten and CSA rep Ernie Logan lauded city children’s performance on the state ELA and Math tests, which were announced today, and are posted on line here. The credit for the steadily rising test scores (with still-glaring gaps between grade 4 and grade 8 achievement), was generously shared as speakers thanked each other, the children, the parents, the teachers and, of course, themselves.

Each speaker in turn emphasized how much work educational reformers in New York City have yet to accomplish.

“It’s a wonderful day for New York,” the Mayor said, before adding this caveat: “If history looks back and says, 'this is a high point,' shame on us.”

Schools cut teaching positions

Posted by Lindsey at 3:56 PM

It's not just parents and students on tenterhooks waiting for school placements. This week is incredibly stressful for the faculty and staff at many city schools, too. As principals hand out next year's teaching assignments, some teachers are discovering that the proposed budget cuts have left them officially "excessed" -- still employed by the DOE but without an active position. (While teachers historically had been automatically transfered, the 2006 UFT contract gave excessed educators control over their job search.)

Excessed teachers who don't -- or can't -- find a new school can spend up to two years in the "reserve pool," earning full wages and benefits, temporarily assigned to schools where the principals decide their workload. Cost to the city since 2006? $81 million. Predictably, the UFT and The New Teacher Project, which has close ties to the DOE, disagree over whether or not this policy is a waste of funds.

This year, looming budget cuts may mean even more teachers in reserve; this week, when assignments are made known, the atmosphere at many schools is tense.

Four down, Queens to go in C4E v. DOE - Round 1

Posted by Tanner Kroeger at 2:08 PM

As the last gathering in the opening round of Contracts for Excellence public accountability hearings, tonight’s hearing in Queens could get heated. The final meeting will come 24 hours after a reportedly intense session in Manhattan, where, according to one attendee, protesters marched out of the hearing at 7:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the mainstream press is picking up on the hearings. Jennifer Medina posted on the Times' City Room blog, while the Post focused on Chancellor Klein and C4E spending.

We'll follow the C4E and budget-cut hearings as they unfold; let us hear from you if you attend or have something to say.

Budget-heavy week begins

Posted by Tanner Kroeger at 10:28 AM

More than 1,000 students, educators and concerned citizens marched outside a rain-soaked City Hall yesterday in protest of proposed budget cuts to New York City’s public schools. Others organized against the budget cuts online, meanwhile, directing an onslaught of emails to City Council members.

These two protests kicked off a busy week on the budget front. Tonight there is a public accountability hearing in Manhattan at 6:30 p.m. to evaluate the city’s use of Contracts for Excellence funding. And tomorrow, a similar hearing will take place in Queens.

Money, money, money!

Posted by Insideschools Blog at 2:00 PM

On top of admissions jitters, stormy weather and Brooklyn’s new IKEA opening, a busy week on the budget and funding fronts is ahead of us. Stay up-to-date with the Insideschools calendar as we plow towards the summer break.

Today the Keep the Promises Coalition is holding a rally against the budget cuts at 4:30 p.m., when protesters will attempt to encircle City Hall. Protesters should meet along Broadway before marching to City Hall. In an email this morning, Betty Zohar, Brooklyn’s UFT parent and community liaison, estimated some 1,500 protesters will attend.

Tomorrow and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., the city will conduct public hearings in Manhattan and Queens, respectively, to discuss the DOE’s use of Contracts for Excellence (C4E) funding. Chief among its many goals, C4E funding aims to reduce class size and to bolster instruction for students with the highest needs, which include students living in poverty, English Language Learners and special-education students.

Parents, students and community members who wish to testify at the C4E public hearings should sign up at 6 p.m. The Manhattan hearing will be at Fashion Industries High School; in Queens, at I.S. 230.


--posted by Tanner Kroeger

After-School Activism: Remember the Budget?

Posted by helen at 12:01 PM

If your kids aren't booked solid after school with dance, baseball, Kumon and Kaplan -- and especially if you're a family that relies on after-school programs for enrichment, homework help, clubs, teams and more, the Kids Protest Project wants you, to speak out against budget cuts that may threaten the out-of-school extras that so many kids enjoy -- and so many parents count on, every day.

Join students and parents from PS 75M, Central Park East II, PS 9/The Anderson School, Manhattan School for Children, Stuyvesant High School, Edward R. Murrow High School, the Computer School, and PS 59 as they deliver mail daily to Chancellor Klein's office at the DOE. Better yet, organize a campaign at your school, and add your community's voice to the fray.

Take Action

Posted by helen at 6:47 PM

A few organizations have set up petitions and letter-writing campaigns to attempt to address education issues of concern:

Families of pre-K siblings denied seats at their older-sibling's school, take a few minutes to complete this survey, conducted by Parents for DOE Accountability and Action.

If your child was not placed at your zoned school for pre-K, Marty Markowitz' office wants to hear from you. [NB, the prior link is not working; instead, call 718-802-3762 in the morning for particulars, and we'll try to identify another link.]

To protest budget cuts, Concerned Parents of NYC encourages kids to raise their voices, along with their parents and the wider school community.

Exercise your civic activism: Chime in.

Money Talks

Posted by helen at 12:10 PM

Last week's budget arguments continue to expand; this afternoon, the Alliance for Quality Education will protest the proposed $428 million cut, starting at 4 pm, at Stuyvesant High School. If you're stuck at work, write your City Council representative. If you attend, let us know what you see and hear.

Meanwhile, public hearings will start later this week on 2008-09 Council For Excellence funds, the direction of which seem very much in question, given Klein's desire to redirect C4E dollars to equalize budget cuts across the city's schools. (See preliminary budget information here.) C4E moneys are legally mandated to target specific, high-need schools and high-need students, in six program areas -- "class size reduction, time on task, teacher and principal quality initiatives, middle school and high school restructuring, full-day pre-Kindergarten, and model programs for English Language Learners" -- a mandate that would be altered if Klein's plan goes forward.

Public hearings will take place in Staten Island at New Dorp High School on June 5th; at IS 230 in Queens on the 10th; in the Bronx on the 11th, at DeWitt Clinton High School; in Brooklyn on the 12th, at Boys and Girls High School; and finally, Monday the 16th, in Manhattan, at Fashion Industries High School. The DOE also invites public comment at ContractsForExcellence@schools.nyc.gov. Let the powers that be hear from you.

$200 million — or $12 million, or something in between — to be cut centrally, maybe

Posted by Philissa at 7:00 AM

Earlier this week, Leonie Haimson commented on a post about the budget showdown that "no one believes that $200 million is going to be cut centrally." During this challenging week, I've really tried to give the DOE the benefit of the doubt, but all the evidence certainly does point that way. As Haimson noted over at the NYC Public School Parents blog, the budget the chancellor presented to the City Council on Tuesday reflected a $12 million central cut that will be achieved in large part by putting in place a hiring freeze at the DOE; it also reflected serious inconsistencies and underbudgeting that advocates have been noting since the budget was released several weeks ago.

After Council members and advocates demanded a closer accounting, the chancellor released a more detailed list of how he plans to free up the $200 million. Elizabeth Green at the Sun wrote yesterday that the list says the DOE plans to reduce the number of staff positions by 187 (which strikes me as unlikely to be achieved in one year through attrition), defer the introduction of a new social studies curriculum (testing related to a new science curriculum was also put off earlier this year), and stop paying for some of schools' computer repair costs. Nearly 15 percent of the central cuts could affect schools directly, Green reported. And now today, the Post notes that "nearly half" of the proposed central cuts were achieved by lowering cost estimates for various products and services — probably by finding someone who can do what's needed for even lower than the lowest bid, which can't be good for actually getting the job done well.

My head is spinning. The only way I can see sense being made of the whole situation is if the mayor frees up enough money to eliminate budget cuts for the DOE and its schools.

Middle School Muddle: When parents are political pawns

Posted by inthemiddle at 1:07 PM

This has been a tough month for public school parents and activists in New York City, the kind who fight for better schools, support the ones their children attend and try to convince friends, neighbors and other parents to do the same.

These activists know that simply registering your child and walking away is not an option if you want enhanced art, music and science programs, to name just a few. They volunteer at lunch and at recess and run auctions, bake sales and endless fundraisers to create better programs for all children. And they are pretty sick of all the finger-pointing about whose fault it is when school budgets are cut.

Many of the most ardent public education supporters began battling for better schools in pre-kindergarten, but now they've discovered there are no certain spots in such programs -- and that even kindergarten in their zoned neighborhood schools cannot be taken for granted due to overcrowding.

They can't necessarily count on a spot a high-performing middle school either, because of a supply and demand discrepancy that exists when it comes to the best schools -- and because some districts and neighborhoods don't have a lot of appealing choices.

One of the most painful moments came last week, when Chancellor Joel Klein announced he'd have to make cuts as high as 6 percent at some of the most attractive and sought-after places like the Salk School of Science, where some 45 percent of 8th graders receive offers to attend the specialized high schools. Salk faces a cut of $133,762, or 5.25 percent. Klein told reporters that 74 schools would face cuts of more than 5 percent.

Klein is putting all the blame on state government in Albany, maintaining that state rules have restricted the way the city can spend education money, despite the historic lawsuit that was supposed to bring billions of dollars into underfunded schools. He says state officials are not allowing him to use $63 million in state aid to close a $99 million city budget deficit before that budget is due June 30.

Parents aren't buying it, as the New York Times pointed out last week, nor should they. (The City Council, which must approve the mayor's budget, isn't buying it either.) The average New York City public parent activist is too busy looking for decent public schools, fighting to maintain the ones their kids already attend and raising ever more money (like I said, it's a lot of cupcakes and rummage sales) to get caught in the middle of despicable politics as usual.

Does Klein think he's going to be a hero if he announces he suddenly won't have to make such deep cuts after all? Unlikely. Regent Merryl Tisch recently told NY1 News that the "ugly political battle'' was creating enormous uncertainty about programs and staffing for next year.

That amounts to angst on top of anxiety. Say you are an activist 5th-grade parent who has long hoped your child would get into an excellent middle school like Salk. Number one, you haven't heard yet -- for some unexplained reason, the middle school process has been delayed this year.

Number two, say you had dreamed of having your middle school graduate go on to say, the prestigious Bronx High School of Science. Looking down the chancellor's list of budget cuts, you might see the Bronx Science is facing a 5.25 percent cut -- amounting to some $825,00 -- and no cupcake sale can make up that kind of deficit. For many schools, such cuts could mean the end of concerts, plays, after school clubs, sports, and at places like Stuyvesant, a lighter academic courseload.

Thousands of parents already support New York City public schools, and thousands more would like to. They do not appreciate being political pawns.

Read all of Liz Willen's Middle School Muddle

Central cuts to include universal G&T testing, quality reviews

Posted by Philissa at 8:37 AM

Last week, at the same time Chancellor Klein started his "classic divide and conquer" campaign to cut the budgets of high-performing schools, he also announced that he would be cutting $200 million from the DOE's central budget. We're starting to get a picture now of what programs and services will go the way of the $200 million. Helen reported that top schools will not receive annual quality reviews and that dozens of jobs will be cut centrally.

Today, we learn that the DOE is jettisoning its plan to screen all kindergarteners for "giftedness" this coming year. The plan has drawn mixed reception since it was announced last year as part of the standardization of G&T admission: anti-testing advocates opposed it as an expansion of the DOE's already swollen testing program, while others, including some parents who commented on this blog while waiting for their G&T letters, saw it as a way to increase equity by finding gifted kids whose parents might not know to ask for testing.

What else do we know the DOE plans to cut from its central administration? Is the chancellor right that individual schools won't suffer more because of the cuts there?

Chancellor Klein's no good, very bad morning

Posted by Philissa at 1:43 PM

Chancellor Joel Klein spent the first part of his day today fielding a barrage of budget questions from City Council members.

In tones ranging from polite skepticism to outright accusation, member after member denounced proposed school budget cuts and Klein's appeal for state relief by redirecting legally mandated Campaign for Fiscal Equity funding. Council members variously characterized Klein's plan as a way to exploit middle-class parent concerns; pit high- and low-achieving (and low- and high-economic need) communities in opposition; shortchange English language learners; and start a covert DOE campaign to wrest economic concessions from the teachers union and other labor groups.

In the standing room-only Council Chambers, members struggled to understand Klein's New Budget Math -- $63 million held back by the city against prospective cuts; $99 million needed from the state; $400 million for "no cuts to schools," according to Klein; and the proposed $428 million city budget cut to education. Speaker Christine Quinn urged Klein and the council to "come up with the number" of dollars cut -- and find the money to "get that number down to zero."

Letitia James of Brooklyn and Melissa Mark-Viverito of Manhattan decried Klein's proposed redistribution of Contract for Excellence funds as against the intent and the letter of the law. And Oliver Koppell of the Bronx said, "I can't believe, in a $10 billion budget" -- which Education Committee Chair Robert Jackson quickly corrected to $21 billion in a side comment -- "you can't find $63 million. I hate to say this, but I don't believe you. You're cutting [funds] to better schools to create an outcry. That's a bad strategy -- that tells parents, 'we can take it all away.'"

Hearings continue with public comment this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. and resume tomorrow at 1 p.m. with a Keep the Promises Coalition press conference at City Hall.

Report by Helen Zelon

After setback, City Council continues budget talks this morning

Posted by Philissa at 7:25 AM

Were you at the beach on Sunday? (I hope you weren't sitting around by your computer reading blogs!) If you were, you might have seen an airplane towing the message "Mayor Bloomberg, keep your promises to our schools." The Keep the Promises Coalition was spreading the word about the budget cuts the schools are facing — cuts that Chancellor Klein recently rejiggered but not relieved. It seems unlikely that the mayor vacations on the city's public beaches, but I suppose it was worth a shot, especially if the effort prompted city residents to call the coalition's toll-free number to register complaints about the cuts.

I'd also bet that there weren't many principals enjoying the beach this weekend -- they were likely too busy figuring out what programs and services to cut for next year, since they only received their budgets late on Thursday.

This morning at 9:30, the education and finance committees of the City Council will be looking at the proposed operating budget for the city's schools. (See the Insideschools calendar for details.) It should be a contentious debate — almost all of the council members have called on the mayor to restore funding to the schools, but he shows no signs of budging. I'm guessing we'll hear council members offering suggestions of where the DOE could trim its fat, in ways that won't affect individual schools. We'll see how productive the debate turns out to be.

Wealthiest schools —and parents?— hurting under Klein's new budget plan

Posted by Philissa at 11:21 AM

As Helen noted yesterday, Chancellor Klein seems to have come up with a formula for reallocating school budgets that penalizes large, successful schools — and that's the story the papers ran with today. Klein appears to have come up with the gambit to rile up middle-class families — and voters — to support his bid to have the state loosen restrictions placed on school funding by the new Contract for Excellence requirement, which was in turn prompted in part by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. That suit, of course, aimed to equalize funding among schools by giving more money to lower-performing schools with a high proportion of needy students. Klein's plan does seem to move toward equalization — but by taking away from schools that are less needy. And he plans to heighten class tensions in the process. Thanks, Chancellor Klein!

UPDATE: A reader notes: "There is a rally this afternoon to protest the budget cuts in front of the location where Chancellor Klein is meeting with principals to announce these cuts: The HS of Fashion Industries at 225 W. 24th Street in Manhattan between 7th and 8th Ave at 5 p.m." I can't be there, but can someone else who is going fill us in on what happens?

Money woes

Posted by helen at 5:22 PM

It looks like our early-morning high hopes for the schools budget were premature at best: Chancellor Joel Klein held a press conference this afternoon to explain why, despite increased overall funding for schools, predicted expenses still outweigh available funding by a cool $300 million. The DOE has found ways to restore $200 million of the shortfall that it says won't overtly impact students in the classroom, like less frequent Quality Review reports for strong schools and the paring away of 80+ jobs at the DOE. But that leaves $99 million unfunded.

Millions due to the city from the Campaign for Fiscal Equity settlement -- 14 years in the making, or longer than the academic career of most city students -- are legally restricted by Albany and targeted to high-need schools, often on the State Education Department's failing-schools list. Because of these legal obligations, under the current budget, some schools are due to receive more money than others. In practice, this means that some schools could actually see increases in their budgets, while about 400 could experience cuts of 3% or greater, including 68 schools -- notably, prized high schools like Stuyvesant, Townsend Harris, and Millennium -- could suffer cuts in excess of 5%. For schools with budgets of $10,000,000 -- a reasonable ballpark for some of the city's largest schools -- that means a loss of about three-quarters of a million dollars.

Klein's proposal, which he plans to take to Albany for approval, involves changing the law to spread the budget pain across the city's schools. He says sharing the burden will mean a far more modest 1.4% budget cut for all schools, and he claims to have the support of the city's principals. (He will meet with principals tomorrow afternoon to describe his proposal; the actual, individual school budgets won't be posted until Thursday evening, after the meeting.)

Representatives of the Keep the Promises Coalition were on hand to criticize Klein's budget revisions. UFT head Randi Weingarten decried Klein's actions as "the height of chutzpah. The CFE is not to blame for the budget shortfall. He has not gone to the mayor to beg for money. You have a $4 billion surplus [in the city budget] -- I have to believe there is money to help the schools. If we are being true to the kids who are always being left behind, the state has to say 'No, you have to put in what you promised.'" Billy Easton, executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education, stressed that the CFE allocations were about more than money. "It's about money AND accountability," said Easton. "He's passing the buck. The state has delivered on its commitment. The city's not delivering on theirs."

Stay tuned. In the interim, we'd love to hear from principals who are facing potential budget challenges and weighing Klein's "share-the-pain" plan.

Could good budget news be on the horizon?

Posted by Philissa at 8:23 AM

Today's Sun has a comprehensive overview of where the city's school budgets now stand — and it's possible, writes Elizabeth Green, that one reason principals didn't receive their school budgets last week as scheduled is that the mayor plans to restore some funding to schools. That's the hope, at least, of principals and school advocates who want to see an upside to a delay that follows a year of financial uncertainty. Advocates have been relentless in pressuring the mayor and chancellor to restore school funding, planning rallies in every borough, airing TV and radio ads, and getting local Community Education Councils to pass resolutions opposing the cuts.

And all but just a few City Council members signed a resolution opposing the budget cuts; the Council must approve the proposed budget before it is adopted. This morning, the council's education and finance committees are discussing the city's capital school budget. Next week, the council takes on the operating budget. By then, and as early as this afternoon, we should see the mayor or the chancellor address the financial picture the schools are facing. I predict they've gotten the message that it won't be acceptable for them to tell principals and parents again that budget cuts will have "no impact whatsoever."

Pressure's mounting on budget-cutting mayor

Posted by Philissa at 9:50 AM

Mayor Bloomberg has got to be feeling the pressure to restore education funds to the city's budget. On Wednesday, parents gathered at City Hall to urge City Council members to vote down the proposed budget. This morning, State Assembly leader Sheldon Silver presented the mayor with an assembly resolution asking him to restore school funding. Anti-cut rallies are scheduled for Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx in the next week. (See the Insideschools calendar for details about dates and locations.) And the Keep the Promises Coalition has just launched a new TV spot urging New Yorkers to call 1-800-961-6198 to tell the mayor to fund the schools.
Some kind of changes may be brewing. Patrick Sullivan reported last night on the NYC Public School Parents blog that the DOE has delayed the Panel for Education Policy's vote on the executive budget, originally scheduled for Monday, saying that it is working on reducing the impact of cuts to schools. Of course, it could be that the DOE needs time to fix serious inconsistencies in the proposed budget -- Eduwonkette's noted one and it's not hard to find others.