New York City School Officials Say $215 Million Budget Cut Is Necessary, Will Appeal Judges Ruling
July 31, 2022 | New York
The New York City Department of Education (DOE) is seeking to overturn a temporary restraining order that’s preventing the department from implementing $215 million in budget cuts for the 2022–2023 school year.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lyle E. Frank ruled in favor of a group of parents and teachers who sued the city over the budget cuts, stating the department must remain within the parameters of the 2021–2022 budget instead (pdf).
The lawsuit argued, and Frank agreed, that the city breached state laws by passing a budget before the DOE advisory panel approved it.
In an affidavit filed in the Manhattan Appeals Court on Thursday, DOE Chancellor David Banks argued that Frank’s decision to pause budget cuts and revert to the previous year’s spending levels could have “disastrous” effects, the Daily News reported.
Banks called the court decision “vague” and “extraordinarily difficult to interpret.” The judicial order puts programs in limbo, delays the filling of vacant staff positions, and leaves supplies unordered, he insisted.
“I am gravely concerned about our ability to assure the orderly opening of schools this September,” Banks said in the affidavit, according to the New York Post…. (Excerpt from The Epoch Times)
