Filed under: News
From The New York Times:
The City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, proposed roughly $75 million in cuts to the Department of Education's budget on Wednesday, in an attempt to help minimize the layoffs planned for thousands of teachers this summer, as outlined by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg last month.
It was Ms. Quinn's first specific pronouncement on education spending since the mayor proposed balancing the books by eliminating 6,100 of the city's 75,000 teaching positions through layoffs and retirements, and it sent a clear signal that big differences remain between the City Council and City Hall when it comes to bridging the city's multibillion-dollar budget gap.
Her plan, drafted with Councilman Domenic M. Recchia Jr. of Brooklyn, chairman of the Council's Finance Committee, includes cuts in the department's technology and transportation spending and to its public information and legal staffs. It also suggests reducing the number of people assigned to the Office of Family Information and Action, which has been roundly criticized over its handling of elections for parent representatives in citywide councils, which play a role in school rezoning, construction and budget decisions.
"We're not just saying no," Ms. Quinn said in an interview. "We're saying, 'No to layoffs, and here are our suggestions.'"
Ms. Quinn's office released her suggested cuts as the schools chancellor, Dennis M. Walcott, appeared at a City Council budget hearing to defend his department's spending decisions and affirm the need for teacher layoffs.
Her proposal drew guarded optimism from parents at a raucous rally that preceded the hearing, and measured support from labor leaders. Ernest A. Logan, president of the principals' union, called it "a fine start that should be further examined and pursued." The president of the teachers' union, Michael Mulgrew, said, "That shows us clearly that there's money to be saved at the Department of Education."
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