Last year the mayor and the City Council matched the historic commitment that the state made to reverse the chronic, multi-generational under-funding of the New York City public schools by agreeing to a $2.2 billion increase over four years.
The city broke that promise to kids. The city on May 1 reversed the approximately $450 million it had promised in the 2008 adopted budget.
The governor and state legislature — despite facing daunting budget deficits actually increased their commitment to kids when the state appropriated $600 million in new funds for NYC public schools. Compare that to the city’s reduction of promised funds in the wake of the substantial multi-billion dollar surplus.
Call the mayor and your councilman to urge them to reinstate the money in the budget.