Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled the last city budget of his administration Tuesday and says it was hit hard by the recent failed agreement on a teacher evaluation system.
While he says it will be balanced, Bloomberg adds the city is set to lose millions more in state funding over the next couple of years because of the fallout.
Bloomberg says that lack of funding means the city will lose about 1,800 teachers through attrition over the next two years, and will have to cut after school programs and money for school supplies.
Notice what's not mentioned?
How Tweed will have to hire fewer outside consultants.
How there won't be money for Acuity tests.
How we will have to roll back Common Core implementation because the budget cuts will mean fewer resources for teachers and students.
How a few central Tweedies might have to go work at Bloomberg's philanthropy wing a little earlier rather than stay on the city payroll doing whatever the hell it is they do.
Nope - didn't hear any of that from the mayor.
Instead we heard how there will be fewer resources for schools, larger class sizes for kids and fewer teachers through attrition.
And given that Bloomberg's motto for the system is "Bloomberg and Walcott First...Always," I think it makes sense that Bloomberg has decided to take the budget cuts out on students, teachers and schools.
That it was Bloomberg who blew up the evaluation deal (a fact all but acknowledged not only by the heads of the principals' union and teachers' union but also by NYSED Commissioer King and Governor Cuomo) never enters into his budget thought process.
Bloomberg proposed his budget to reporters at City Hall? Not a big SOTC address like years past?
ReplyDeleteAm I missing something? Because if I'm not, then a budget proposal with no pomp, and no drama like years past can only mean one thing: he's throwing in the towel.
Wow!
With Quinn running for mayor in the September primary, he probably knows a lot of these cuts won't make it through the council either. She's not going to want to sign off on some damaging budget at the end of June with the Dem primary just 2+ months away. At least, I don't think she's going to want to sign off on that. So we'll just have to see how this goes.
DeleteMore worrisome to me, the UFT and the DOE are back at the negotiating table. That means we have another Sell Out Watch coming - with Feb 15 as the deadline.
We'll have to see how that goes too.
any chance of HEDI/VAM ratings for the current school year or will it be 2013-14?
ReplyDeleteI think even if they agree to the system by Feb 15, it's impossible to put the system in place this year. For next year's state aid increase, Cuomo says the system has to be in place by Sept 1. That will hold up unless Shelly and the Assembly say no to that. So my guess is, we get an agreement by Feb 15 that goes into effect Sept 1 but we stay with the old system for the rest of the year.
DeleteLet's face it, the HEDI system is complicated and unwieldy enough without having to institute it for the 2012-2013 school year in late February/early March.