This Op-Ed is intended to make sure that every Yonkers citizen is informed about the devastation that has occurred in our schools and is now about to be made much, much worse. Yonkers Public Schools is looking at an 87 million dollar deficit for the 2011 – 2012 school year if our state and city legislators do not address our funding issues.- not 64 million as the mayor had stated. The disparity in state funding and the freeze in education aide does not address our increased enrollment, continues to include unfunded mandates, does not address the reimbursement rate for Prekindergarten, creates an inequality with neighboring towns, and continues to shortchange the Yonkers education system. The city’s lack of commitment to properly fund the education of each child adds to the reason for this deficit.
Last year, the Yonkers Public Schools was forced to address a 49 million dollar deficit. Our school district closed 439 positions after a retirement incentive was offered and many layoffs! We lost 234 Teachers, 182 Civil Service employees, 3 Teamsters and an additional 20 Administrators. This action has detrimentally impaired the Yonkers Public Schools. It has brought the level of education to that which is not worthy of any student, but especially those in our urban, high needs district. This devastation includes class sizes over 30, no instrumental music in elementary or middle schools, Art and Vocal Music are almost completely erased from elementary level, elementary librarians are eliminated and many libraries have been turned into classrooms due to overcrowded schools, and a limited selection of electives are being offered in High Schools creating large gaps in student schedules. We are not meeting state mandates in areas of Special Education, Physical Education and other core areas. Our clerical staff, security, support personnel, and central office administration are all at the lowest levels ever. I believe this is the part that we, the public, feel the most. This lack of support personnel and administration hinders the ability to run a district of this size. It is increasingly difficult to have our questions addressed. There is also less essential staff to find and write grants to supplement what our state and city do not pay and it
You may recall that the city’s total deficit last year was $110 million, $60 million being the “municipal side” of the budget however most positions were reinstated on “that side of the budget” and yet the public schools lost 439 employees. The city’s credibility is questionable when even with some municipal union givebacks; it seems hard to believe that eliminated the 60 million dollar deficit without any layoffs. The Yonkers Public schools have not received an increase from our city. The city actually owes the Board of Education after borrowing money from the education budget two years ago.
As stated at this month’s Board of Education meeting, our schools enrollment is increasing, and will continue to do so. We have increased by almost 1500 students, not including incoming pre k students, in the past 3 years. The state funding formula has been frozen for the same amount of time which adds to the point, there is no per pupil formula. The data tells us that we are now at almost 26,000 students and in a few years we will be closer to 31,000.
Education is a Right. If we were to properly fund each child, the additional state funding alone would be $12.5 million. The City of Yonkers also needs to fund our schools properly. We are a dependent school district, which means we need to hope that our elected officials care enough about educating our 26,000 children to create a budget that does so. As our generation gets older, WE will be dependent on the children we are failing to invest in right now- in our businesses, our banks and hospitals, our nursing homes. When our legislators are complaining about inept care they receive as senior citizens, I will point directly to this moment in time.
We, the people of Yonkers need to contact our federal, state and city legislators because it is their responsibility make the investment in our future! Demand that the people we put into office, address the annual deficit The Yonkers Public Schools face every year! Let your voices be heard because, “Our Children Deserve Better”
