The latest move in state budget gamesmanship would block Mayor Bloomberg from cutting public school costs - and result in the loss of 3,778 cops and 520 firefighters, a City Hall analysis shows.
In the city's budget request, Hizzoner asked all city agencies to shoulder the same rate of cuts - a burden the Assembly Democrats shifted to every outfit but schools.
The Bloomberg administration is scrambling to kill the proposal, which City Hall officials described as a favor to the United Federation of Teachers, a major Democratic donor.
"Assuming all Department of Education cuts are eliminated, an additional across-the-board budget reduction of 4.6% will be necessary in order to generate $540 million" in savings for the 2009 fiscal year, a Bloomberg administration document sent to lawmakers says.
The Bloomberg team's analysis was exclusively obtained by the Daily News after it was circulated this week to lawmakers at the Capitol.
The analysis insists sparing the Education Department any cuts, while other agencies shouldered the burden, would force the elimination of 609 sanitation workers and reduce the frequency of trash collections.
That comes on top of the elimination of nearly 4,000 of New York's Finest and more the 500 of its Bravest.
An outraged Edward Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, lashed out at the Assembly for backing a proposal he said would lead to a public safety "disaster."
"The Police Department is already struggling to get people as it is," he said. "The people of New York ought to wake up and get on top of these politicians up in Albany."
Assemblyman Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) defended the push to spare schools from Bloomberg's ax.
"The state Legislature has gone to the wall to increase education aid for the city. If the city is just going to take the state aid and decrease its own aid, that's not what was intended."
Lawmakers are expected to hammer out a finalized budget by Tuesday.
A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) had no comment.
There was also no comment from Gov. Paterson's office. Paterson's lawyer father, former Secretary of State Basil Paterson, has represented the UFT.
jmahoney@nydailynews.com
