Bloomberg to spend more on charter schools, to cut spending on public schools.

[madfloridian]

Thanks to the Perdido Street School blog for the heads up on this. I did not realize it had gone so far there in NYC.

Blatantly openly cutting funds to public education while giving more to charter schools. I don't even know what to say anymore. There is such arrogance now and such obvious attacks on public education.

Please note the cuts also to police and fire departments, which leaves them at their lowest staffing in years.

Bloomberg Increases Charter School Spending, Cuts Traditional School Budgets

Lowest taxes ever for the hedge fundies and Wall Street criminals. Ridiculously low real estate taxes for wealthy condo owners like A-Rod. Corporations use the same tax haven in the Cayman Islands that Bloomberg himself uses to avoid paying city taxes.

The result? Slashed fire, police and school budgets.

But NOT EVERY school budget.

Oh, no - charter schools get MORE money from the Mayor of Money.

The message to parents, students and teachers in traditional public schools - screw you!

Here is more from the New York Daily News on Bloomberg's obvious attack on public schools.

Bloomberg's new budget may anger parents as it increases aid for charters, cuts regular schools


Smith for News
Mayor Bloomberg's budget proposals may anger many New Yorkers, particularly some parents - the Education Dept. plans to spend $139 million more on charter schools next year.

The Independent Budget Office review said the Education Department plans to spend $139 million more on charter schools next year, but $207 million less on traditional public schools.

"Spending in these areas is likely welcome to the families that use those particular schools, but families of the roughly 1 million students in the traditional public schools may see it as resources lost to their own schools and children," the report says.

Meanwhile, cuts to the police and fire departments will leave them at their lowest staffing levels in years, the report found. The Bravest would end the next fiscal year on June 30, 2012, with 10,282 firefighters in its ranks - the lowest number since at least 1980.

The IBO believes Bloomberg's $65.6 billion budget for the coming year is within $195 million of being balanced, which the mayor's office said is proof that Hizzoner's most controversial cuts were necessary to keep New York in the black.

"The report notes that the hard choices the mayor continues to make are absolutely necessary and the road ahead will be a difficult one," said spokesman Marc LaVorgna.

I am sure someone will be along to defend the recent bipartisan attacks on teachers. But I wonder if they will also defend the cutting back of firefighters and police?

Teachers have for years been marginalized and scapegoated. So it is no surprise that posts defending public education drop like rocks around here. But the public industries that include life and death services are under the same attacks now.

[Snoutport]

1. Do the charter schools have any type of standards in NY?

I was pretty horrified when I read in one of your earlier posts that the state of Florida only allows 3 Charter schools to be audited a year. (that was you wasn't it?). Why do the public schools have crippling tests and costs in that area and the charter schools don't even have to have testing or licensed teachers?

[madfloridian]

2. You got me there. I am not remembering that.

Do you remember the context or post subject?

I don't know about the audit requirements, but I know that some charters are more regulated than others.

One group in a county just does exactly as they want, and the school board has absolutely no say over them.

[madfloridian]

4. Ok, here's what I found about NYC charters and accountability.

It's mostly to themselves, I gather.

http://schools.nyc.gov/community/planning/charters/default.htm

"Charter Schools are publicly funded and open to all students in New York City through a non-discriminatory admissions lottery. Each charter school is governed by a not-for-profit board of trustees which may include educators, community members, and leaders from the private sector. Charters have freedom to establish their own policies, design their own educational program, and manage their human and financial resources. Charter schools are accountable, through the terms of a five-year performance contract, for high student achievement."

[madfloridian]

3. "more budget cutting at the expense of public safety."

http://www.dukesblotter.com/2011/03/news-national-nyc-fire-police-forces.html

"(National) NYC fire, police forces may fall to decade lows
--Just another example of more budget cutting at the expense of public safety."

The problem of public schools being dismantled might be ignored, or even cheered by many...you know that teachers finally got what was coming to them.

But I would think there would be alarm about these cuts.

"New York City's firefighting staff would fall to the lowest number since 1980 while its police force would be cut back to its 1992 roster under Mayor Michael Bloomberg's austere budget plan, a report said Friday. Bloomberg, who has ordered 10 rounds of budget cuts since 2007, pins the city's fiscal health and its future on ensuring its residents' safety and improving public school education.

Budget cuts risk imperiling these priorities, reducing the number of firefighting staff to 10,282, and the number of uniformed police officers to 34,413. Bloomberg's $65 billion budget plan also includes just under 5,000 teacher layoffs.

"The city's ability to deliver needed and expected services while maintaining budget balance may be severely tested if state and federal cutbacks continue to mount," the Independent Budget Office's report said.

.."Demonstrating his support for charter schools, Bloomberg proposed that the Department of Education spend $207 million less next year on public school classrooms but an extra $689 million on nonpublic and charter schools and systemwide costs."

[liberalteacher]

5. More Money For Charters

Is there any doubt now that we now have a class war in New York City, and it is Bloomberg who has fired the first shop. He no longer represents the interests of any New Yorker that is not a millionaire or billionaire. We have to do something. I believe that we have to protest loud and clear to force this man from office before he does any more damage to the middle class of our city. By the way, he plans to now raise the property tax on coops by close to 100% to drive away some more of the middle class.

[madfloridian]

6. Welcome to DU. Yes, it is class warfare in many ways.

How did we get here? I wonder so much about how quickly things have changed in this country.

[madfloridian]

7. Wow, 63% of union households support merit teacher layoffs.

I wonder how they will feel as firefighters and policemen if they are treated like teachers.

No wonder it is so easy to screw teachers and their rights. Other unions don't show support for them.

Do they realize their unions may have lost collective bargaining as well as teachers?

Does it matter whose ox is being gored?

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/most_city_voters_back_merit_based_Lf8KTjhhmJZN84OXSo4usN

[madfloridian]

8. Looks like charter kids and parents are lobbying now.

Yep, it's me back kicking it again. It does need attention...the fact that NYC is defunding public schools and funding charter schools more.

Hard for public school teachers to do as they risk getting marked down if they are too activist.

Charter schools like Green Dot organize their parent groups and call them grassroots and everyone believes them. This NY charter school is organizing too.

http://www.qgazette.com/news/2011-02-23/Features/Parents_Students_Go_To_Albany_To_Fight_For_Charter.html

"Parents and students from Our World Neighborhood Charter School, 36-12 35th Ave., Astoria are pictured here with Mayor Michael Bloomberg in Albany on February 7, in observation of Charter School Day 2011. Concerned parents from state charter schools and students traveled to the state capitol to meet with legislators regarding charter school funding. To help remedy the budget crisis in New York, some lawmakers want to cut charter school funding, even though charter schools already receive less funding than other public schools. Astoria is home to many new charter schools that recently opened to address the overcrowding issue in Western Queens."

[dkf]

9. Public schools win by beating charter schools in achievement.

If teachers really want to defend public schools they need to make sure their excellence makes the choice obvious.

Who gets the higher act/sat scores? Who graduates more students, and who graduates more college students? Who takes the poor kids and increases their scores?