Massive Financial Deficit and Hallway Patrol: Families to Bear the Brunt
Parents ready to help with bake sales and chaperoning school dances might find the mayor’s suggestion yesterday that hallway patrols and front-door duty should be added to the list a step too far. And that is on the heels of news last week from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli that New York City is on a fast track to financial disaster with NYC Schools on the front line of cuts thanks to the migrant crisis.
The Mayor’s Suggestion Falls Flat
With so much news it’s easy to forget that we are still struggling with a steady influx of migrants to New York City. And it still remains the case that nearly 80% are single adults of military age and primarily men. And despite parents pleas not to take away soccer field space (3,000 men housed on Randall’s Island playing fields) or have the city’s Right to Shelter law take away budget from schools, the damage is done.
And now that damage is taking the form of 250 school safety agents being removed from schools. And this is despite the fact that serious felony crimes at schools are up 16 percent. It’s also important to note that 70 percent of school safety agents are women, and mostly Black and Latinas.
So it’s inconceivable that the mayor is placing a problem parents have been vocal about squarely on the shoulders (again) of families and schools. “We’re going to be leaning into parents and parent groups to do some volunteerism,” Adams said. And parents? Well they are universally saying “no way.”
A Dire Budget Picture Revealed
The mayor’s comments come on the heels of a dire report last week released by the state comptroller.
While it takes a bit of reading, we assure you it’s worth it. And it’s because the situation faced by New York City is unique from the rest of the state as our “sanctuary city” status is putting us in the red.
The report include: New York City Department of Education (DOE), the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and New York City Health + Hospitals (H+H) — and cover the financial issues faced. It’s important to note that Health + Hospitals run the migrant shelters in NYC.
Few Highlights
“Asylum Seeker and Migrant Student Enrollment: The city estimates that approximately 30,000 children of migrants and asylum seekers are enrolled in city schools during the 2023-24 school year including 12,000 since June 30, 2023. DOE spent $22 million on initiatives related to these students in FY 2023, despite not having budgeted for such costs. There are no budgeted costs for spending on these students in FY 2024 either. Fair Student Funding allocations alone for these students are likely to exceed $125 million in FY 2024; however, additional per-pupil state aid would likely defray a portion of such costs.” (source)
"Enrollment: The number of K-12 students enrolled in New York City public schools fell nearly 9.2% between the 2019-20 and 2022-23 school years, with the pandemic exacerbating an existing downward trend. Some projections expect enrollment to continue declining. Most education aid is calculated on a per-pupil basis, meaning the city may also need to adjust its expectations of support from federal and state sources" (source)