Thanks to the Perdido Street School blog for the heads up on this. I did not realize it had gone so far there in NYC.
Blatantly openly cutting funds to public education while giving more to charter schools. I don't even know what to say anymore. There is such arrogance now and such obvious attacks on public education.
Please note the cuts also to police and fire departments, which leaves them at their lowest staffing in years.
Bloomberg Increases Charter School Spending, Cuts Traditional School BudgetsLowest taxes ever for the hedge fundies and Wall Street criminals. Ridiculously low real estate taxes for wealthy condo owners like A-Rod. Corporations use the same tax haven in the Cayman Islands that Bloomberg himself uses to avoid paying city taxes.
The result? Slashed fire, police and school budgets.
But NOT EVERY school budget.
Oh, no - charter schools get MORE money from the Mayor of Money.
The message to parents, students and teachers in traditional public schools - screw you!
Here is more from the New York Daily News on Bloomberg's obvious attack on public schools.
Bloomberg's new budget may anger parents as it increases aid for charters, cuts regular schoolsSmith for News
Mayor Bloomberg's budget proposals may anger many New Yorkers, particularly some parents - the Education Dept. plans to spend $139 million more on charter schools next year.The Independent Budget Office review said the Education Department plans to spend $139 million more on charter schools next year, but $207 million less on traditional public schools.
"Spending in these areas is likely welcome to the families that use those particular schools, but families of the roughly 1 million students in the traditional public schools may see it as resources lost to their own schools and children," the report says.
Meanwhile, cuts to the police and fire departments will leave them at their lowest staffing levels in years, the report found. The Bravest would end the next fiscal year on June 30, 2012, with 10,282 firefighters in its ranks - the lowest number since at least 1980.
The IBO believes Bloomberg's $65.6 billion budget for the coming year is within $195 million of being balanced, which the mayor's office said is proof that Hizzoner's most controversial cuts were necessary to keep New York in the black.
"The report notes that the hard choices the mayor continues to make are absolutely necessary and the road ahead will be a difficult one," said spokesman Marc LaVorgna.
I am sure someone will be along to defend the recent bipartisan attacks on teachers. But I wonder if they will also defend the cutting back of firefighters and police?
Teachers have for years been marginalized and scapegoated. So it is no surprise that posts defending public education drop like rocks around here. But the public industries that include life and death services are under the same attacks now.