Fund New York City's Schools!

Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Council have passed a budget that cuts funding to our public schools. That is unconscionable, hits low-income schools the hardest, and has resulted in cuts of 20%-30% in some districts. Our students have already paid a steep price during this pandemic. They now deserve schools that are fully funded, small class sizes, access to art, music, and science, investments in special education, mental health support, and in-school social work, and so much more.

Yet, in this year's budget, the mayor shuffled the deck ... and left school budgets in the red. Principals are panicking. Teachers are being "excessed" (which means losing the jobs they have in their school communities) while entire departments are set to be dismantled in many schools. And students and parents are facing a new crisis—just as we thought we were finally emerging from three years of interrupted and compromised schooling.

This is all mistaken political showmanship by the mayor. But the consequences are real. Cuts to school budgets mean cuts to staff—that means less support for special ed, less enrichment, and larger classes. It means that teachers are losing their roles and schools are losing the professionals who helped their communities through this pandemic. And by the fall—when budgets are adjusted—it will be too late to hire these folks back.

During the pandemic, we applauded our teachers as essential workers. Now we toss them aside. We praised our principals for their dedication and innovation. Now we slap them in the face. We made our students carry the burden of school closures...and now we tell them we won't invest in them.

Mayor Adams—make this right. Fully fund New York's schools and support our city's students.