News

The Department of Education (DOE) released a list on Thursday, May 22 of 74 public schools whose budgets will be cut by more than five percent next year. Stuyvesant, whose budget will be cut by 955,135 dollars, or 5.32 percent, is included on the list.

Stuyvesant has faced budget cuts before. The school lost 277,000 dollars as the result of a 1.75 percent citywide budget cut in January 2008. There was also a budget cut in the fall of 2004. “I cut all classes with below 22 [students] and I cut certain advanced classes,” Teitel said.

According to Principal Stanley Teitel, there are several ways in which he plans to deal with the new budget cuts. He is considering cutting the number of classes each student can take next year to seven instructional periods and lunch.

“I let you register for seven classes plus two electives and you were all aware that you may not get all the classes you signed up for [...] but we’ll have to see how things turn out,” Teitel said. “[I can] wave my hand and say no students take more than seven classes plus lunch, or I could do it by grade level. For example I might allow the juniors to take eight [classes] while everyone else takes seven.”

Extracurricular activities are also at risk. “Extracurricular activities depend on per-session. If I don’t have money for per-session, that’s teachers’ over time [pay], we won’t have [those] extracurriculars,” Teitel said.

New York State allocated 535 million dollars this year to New York City schools as a result of the Campaign for Fiscal Equality suit settlement. Despite state funding, the city is short 299 million dollars for education and, as a result, 100 million dollars will be cut from approximately 1,200 city schools.

The 74 public schools named on the DOE’s list, which includes Townsend Harris High School and the Bronx High School of Science, are well-performing schools. Chancellor Joel Klein argues that well-performing schools are bearing the brunt of the budget cuts because of Contracts for Excellence, a state program that focuses state education money on low-performing schools.

Members of the Parents’ Association (PA) are angry about the budget cuts. “To cut education to this extent is really robbing our kids of the future they should have,” PA Co-President Paola de Kock said. “It shouldn’t be about we shouldn’t take from here to give to there. We should be insuring that each school gets funded per student at a level that’s adequate.”

PA Recording Secretary Ellen Bilofsky said the budget cuts are “unconscionable” and she is angry that “the City is not keeping the promise it made to join with the State and fund the schools.”

de Kock said PA members are vocal about their resentment over the budget cuts. Four Stuyvesant parents joined protesters at the High School of Fashion Industries on Thursday, May 22. Parents also attended a public hearing on the education budget at City Hall of Monday, May 27.

de Kock said the PA will “try to raise even more money to supplement what the school can no longer buy.” Although PA funds cannot be used to pay for classes, Stuyvesant uses the money to purchase lab equipment and Advanced Placement level textbooks.

No final decisions have been made on how to manage next year’s budget cuts. Teitel will make that decision over the summer.