 |
 |
 |
|
|||||
|
Quinn: Cut Schools' Contract Budget, Not Classroom Spending
She acknowledged that budget cuts were necessary given the fiscal climate, but disagreed with where $191 million in mayoral cuts were targeted. "That's $191 million in cuts directly to our classrooms," she said, calling cuts to Department of Education core initiatives "totally unacceptable." 'Our Obligation to Kids' "Even during lean times our budget should reflect shared priorities and embrace who we are as a city," Speaker Quinn said. "Because whether a child is considered gifted or has a learning disability, whether they live in a homeless shelter or on Central Park West, we have the exact same obligation to carry them to their full educational potential." Ms. Quinn proposed cutting DOE funds in areas with less of a direct impact on students in order to maintain essential resources, such as new books and after-school programs. She also pointed to the DOE's $3-billion contract budget as a preferable area for reduction. That budget has actually grown by more than $250 million even as in-house programs were cut, according to Speaker Quinn. Just a week after four DOE employees were indicted on charges of taking bribes from private bus companies, Ms. Quinn questioned why those transportation contracts - among the DOE's most sizable contract expenditures - are not competitively bid, calling this "bad fiscal policy" that "potentially exposes [the city] to institutional corruption and safety risks." Some estimates claim competitive bidding could save the city $100 million a year. Wants Contract Budget, HRA Cut The Council proposed an across-the-board 4-percent reduction in the DOE contract budget, as well as cuts in other agencies, including a $17-million slice in Human Resources Administration spending. Additionally, the Council has decided not to add any new programs to the budget to focus energy and resources on "restoring crucial city services like educational funding," Ms. Quinn said. In the latter part of her address, Speaker Quinn endorsed the reauthorization of mayoral control - which is up for renewal next year - calling the old system a "mire of bureaucracy with a pass-the-buck mentality that got in the way of change and process." Mayoral control, she said, has led to "real accountability" and results, such as "better test scores, higher graduation rates and stronger schools." Speaker Quinn, who is expected to seek the mayoralty next year, urged constituents to increase the scope and impact of mayoral responsibility. "The strength of mayoral control is that it concentrates authority and accountability at the top," she said. She called for strengthening the role of parent coordinators, commissioning an independent clearinghouse to collect and analyze educational data, and widening local legislative authority over city schools. Power Misplaced Upstate? Right now, "The City Council can only legislate up to the door of a school," she said. "Once inside, it becomes the domain of the State Legislature. Now I shouldn't be deciding what happens inside a school up in Onondaga County. So why does an Assembly Member from Liverpool or Pitcher Hill have authority over what happens inside schools here in New York City?" "These proposals are things we'll negotiate with the Council through the budget process," responded Mayor Bloomberg's press secretary, Stu Loeser. The e-mail also noted that of the $3 billion DOE Contracts Budget, 43 percent consists of "pass through" payments that can't be touched, such as money sent to private providers for court-mandated special education services, while another $1.1 billion is spent on transportation services. At press time the Council was set to hear budget testimony from DOE officials May 27. |
      |
||||
