New York, NY—Today, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor David C. Banks announced that the Department of Education (DOE) would allocate approximately $200 million of FY24 federal stimulus money for school budgets this year to ensure individual NYC school budgets would be held harmless for declining enrollment. This reverses a policy announced earlier this June that would have cut the budgets of schools with fewer students enrolled than the projected numbers. This is welcomed news, and we urge the administration to fully restore the $469 million budget cut.
Andrea Ortiz, Senior Manager of Education Policy, New York Immigration Coalition said:
“Receiving a quality education is an essential foundation for the lives of all children in New York, and immigrant newcomers need schools that are fully equipped to help them succeed – with well-trained teachers, bilingual social workers, and wrap-around support services. Unfortunately, because of the sweeping budget cuts that were announced for NYC schools this summer, our schools were unprepared to fully serve newcomer students. The administration and the Department of Education must work with superintendents, principals, teachers and school staff to meet the needs of all public school students. We thank the City for adding $200 million to the education budget to make sure schools aren’t harmed by enrollment losses, but there is so much more needed, and untapped federal dollars to pull from. Additionally, the city must go further to fully fund English Language Learner transfer programs, support all schools receiving our newest New Yorkers, and meet the urgency of this moment to ensure that our students have the resources necessary to succeed now and into their bright futures.”
###