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City Council members interrogated Schools Chancellor Klein on Thursday, making him justify and revise some planned budget cuts. NY1’s Education reporter Michael Meenan filed the following report.
New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein faced intense questioning during a City Hall meeting with City Council on Thursday, as the man defended his close to $600 million budget cuts for the next school year.
About $180 million was stripped from school budgets this year.
"People want to see leadership as far as shown and communicated to them and the people of New York," said Robert Jackson, a Manhattan Democratic Councilman.
"I have no apology to make for my leadership," answered Klein.
Klein and a top deputy took questions for over three hours, regarding the costs for everything from computers to pre-K programs, and to go over potential budget cuts.
Council Speaker Christine Quinn got Klein to consider chopping his press office budget by office budget by 10 percent.
"We're always going to - in times like this, we're going to ask you to go back and do more like this. So no good deed goes unpunished,” said Quinn.
Klein said he is not hiding a dollar of bureaucratic fat.
"'We're probably as lean an operation as you could imagine," said Klein.
The Department of Education
- Plans to save $5 million by stopping high school kids from taking free lunches they're not entitled to.
- Will not cut a new $80 million computer program that lawmakers consider impractical but Klein insists is vital to improving the schools.
- Must still shell out about $22 million each year to pay teachers taken out of classrooms on charges but still on the payroll.
Klein also admitted that $30 million for half-day pre-kindergarten classes had gone unspent, and at a councilman’s demand, gave his own e-mail for families looking for those pre-k slots to contact.
Also, on the spot, Klein restored $10 million to a program that helps struggling teachers do better in the classroom.
He said he wished he did not have to make cuts, but said he has been told to.
"In my business, the ocean is big and the boat is small. And we're rowing as hard as we can," said Klein.
Klein said he will share more information with lawmakers about other necessary cuts, and hopes they use a “careful eye” when looking at his decisions.
- Michael Meenan
