Members of the community and the Parent Teacher Association, along with Councilmembers Elizabeth Crowley and Daniel Dromm, took to the streets to rally against the Department of Education’s (DOE) recent proposal to collect 30 percent as opposed to 50 percent of schools’ reserves as originally proposed.
According to Crowley, the “Deferred Program Planning Initiative” (DPPI) was enacted to permit schools to save unspent money to off-set future budget cuts. The DOE introduced a mandate to the DPPI last month and gave schools a demanding ultimatum – utilize 50 percent of the funds that were saved by March 18 or have it appropriated elsewhere by the DOE.
Outraged citizens rallied at P.S.-I.S. 128 on March 3, sharing their unease with the situation.
“Nothing outside of a nurturing home can create an environment for our children to go forward into the world like a well-rounded education,” said concerned parent, Caroline Lee. “They are shortchanging the next generation of educated tax-payers.”
Among the main worries are increased class sizes, the suspension of school programs, wasteful spending and teacher layoffs.
Crowley expressed her support to the community and disapproval of the DOE’s alteration to the DPPI, originally intended to balance upcoming fiscal difficulties.
On March 7, the Chancellor announced an amendment to the plan and indicated only 30 percent would be taken from the savings.
“The Bloomberg Administration has repeated time and again that we need to be fiscally conservative by doing more with less, now the DOE is trying to penalize our most responsible principals for doing just that,” Crowley said. “This is about doing what is right for our schools and what is right for our students.”
"The money in the reserves would usually be rolled over by fiscally responsible principals with intentions of creating a rainy-day fund," Dromm explained.
P.S.-I.S. 128, the only school in the district that does not receive Title I federal funding, is under the most threat. It recently built a new building and expanded to include junior high school students.
Lee said, “If reserves are taken away from us and we are left to only work within the city and federal budget that is allotted to us, our faculty and children will be left without a fighting chance to succeed, let alone to achieve excellence.”
Principal John Lavelle of P.S.-I.S. 128, among others, were advised by DOE officials and business managers to prepare for budget shortcomings since last year, but with the new proposal a decision must be made quickly, either spend the money unnecessarily or save it and lose half.
Dromm has viewed the fiscal policy as an encouragement to wasteful spending and a discouragement of long term, strategic planning for principals.
A Community Education Council meeting will be open to the public at P.S.-I.S. 128 on March 22, beginning at 7 p.m., to discuss a resolution to the issue.
“To take back funding that is already given is nothing more than robbery,” added Crowley.
