Politics & Government

Area Pols Decry Bloomberg's Proposed Teacher Layoffs, Childcare Cuts and Firehouse Closures

Say they will disproportionately hurt lower income families and risk the safety of us all.

Area pols swiftly condemned Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s massive budget cuts.

The mayor announced the reductions – which include laying off 4,666 teachers, eliminating 16,624 child care slots, and closing 20 fire companies and 100 senior centers – while presenting his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year yesterday.

Prospect Heights Councilwoman Letitia James called the cuts hypocritical and "illogical," forcing parents to choose between sending their kids to “unregulated” childcare, or quitting their jobs to stay home with them.

Find out what's happening in Prospect Heights-Crown Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“It is really hypocrisy to cut 16,000 childcare slots if the mayor purports to support the value of early childhood education,” she said in a phone interview this afternoon. “It flies in the face of his earlier statements.”

James also disagrees with the teacher layoffs.

Find out what's happening in Prospect Heights-Crown Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Obviously 4,000 layoffs plus another 1,500 through attrition is just unacceptable and will have a direct and adverse impact on classroom size and educational impact," she said.

James feels the mayor should make cuts to the Department of Education's "bloated bureaucracy" and consulting contracts, especially those that have resulted from those due to the DoE's "preoccupation with and emphasis on tests."

She also suggested Albany "close down empty prisons and transfer those resources to educating students."

As to the subject of whether layoffs should be based on merit evaluations or the current seniority system, James' reaction was mixed.

She noted a case of an area principal who was charged with assault three years ago but is still on the city’s payroll as he fights dismissal.

“If the mayor of the City of New York is trying to correct that isolated cases than I support him," she said.

"But I cannot support a wholesale unfettered use of power for the mayor of the City of New York to dismiss teachers at will. … It’s fraught with politics and personality and the possibility exists for further abuse,” she said.

She added, “there has to be some objective criteria and standards (for dismissal) and the best way to assure that is through negotiations with the union and state legislature.”

Rob Witherwax, 2nd Vice Chair of Community Board 8 and head of its fire safety committee, was understandably most concerned with the firehouse closings, which he called “penny wise and pound foolish.”

“Without knowing more, I cannot speak definitively, but closing firehouses always seems a nonsensical way to save money,” he said via e-mail.

Olanike Alabi, the 57th Assembly female district leader, condemed the cuts overall.

"The Mayor's proposed budget cuts are not only severe, but is an attempt to balance the city budget on the backs of working families," she said via e-mail. "We must find revenue generators without eliminating essential services for those who need them most."

According to Bloomberg, the cuts in education spending are necessary to close an estimated $4.58 billion deficit without raising taxes. 

Bloomberg also pointed the finger at Albany for the city's steep cuts in funding for education.

According to the mayor's office, the city's share of non-federal education spending rose from 50 percent in 2002 to 62 percent expected in 2012. In the same period, the city claims the state's share has declined from 50 percent to 38 percent.

"We’re ready to do our part to help the state, but we don’t deserve to be penalized for our responsible actions," Bloomberg said of the budget cuts. "If the state does not come through, layoffs and service cuts will be more severe."

 Paul Leonard, Nathan Duke, and Lori Gross contributed to this story.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Prospect Heights-Crown Heights