Teachers, Parents Issue “Progress Report” on Pain Caused by State Cuts

YONKERS, NY -- Despite claims that $1.3 billion in state budget cuts could easily be absorbed by school districts, Yonkers education leaders say the first three weeks of school have revealed just the opposite. In a “progress report” to be delivered at a Monday news conference, the Yonkers Federation of Teachers and other Westchester-area educators will detail how deep program cuts, teacher layoffs and a frayed safety net for students in trouble are harming education.

“We have an obligation to speak truth to power,” said Yonkers Federation of Teachers President Pat Puleo. “That truth is that three years of state budget cuts have cut programs to the bone and are undermining educational opportunities for students in Yonkers and all over Westchester County.”

Puleo – joined by NYSUT Executive Vice President Andrew Pallotta, Parent-Teacher Association President Ann Marie Smith and others – will hold a conference on Monday, September 26 to detail the effects of budget cuts on city school students. The news conference will be held at 11 a.m. at Lincoln High School, 375 Kneeland Ave.

Puleo is also expected to be joined by state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assemblyman Mike Spano and other teachers and administrators from Yonkers and neighboring Westchester County school districts, who will also “explain how budget cuts are causing pain for students.”

Puleo said in Yonkers, for example, the education cuts mean that city schools have only:

• One school psychologist for every 2,600 students.
• One guidance counselor for every 650 students.
• Zero librarians in city elementary schools.
• 30-32 students in kindergarten classes.
• Bare bones programs in art, music and interscholastic sports.
• Deep cuts to pre-kindergarten and career and technical education programs.

 

Comments

[Taxpayer]

Both the superintendent and Pat claim there is a deluge of students with 30 -32 students in kindergarten. Are they also including the number of students leaving Yonkers? Pierorazio claimed we are getting approximately 30 students a day. Well Yonkers loses 50 to 75 students a day in September. Check the numbers. The libraries in the elementary schools were closed to make space for the prek-8 program. Elementary schools have been overloaded to accommodate Pierorazio's expensive configuration. Pierorazio made the cuts with an machete. He obviously did not think these cuts through wisely. A team should be created to help Pierorazio make the right choices. We are now stuck with unreasonable cuts that could have been made more educationally sound.

[It's all about the kids]

Tough economic times call for tough economic measures. How about a 1 year 5% cut to ALL top level teachers and administrators. Lead by example and stop looking to us for more money. Sincerely, Yonkers Taxpayers.

[Greed thy name is Pat]

Return ALL BOE salaries to 2009 levels and ALL budget woes will vanish. Yes VANISH. Ask the lying leaders of the teachers Union. Do the math. Between the 7% increases PLUS step ups there are millions of dollars in savings that could be "for the children" but Pat and her cronioes will never go for it. Right Pat you greedy $#*^%*^%#@@%##$$$#@@@*($$$$$$

[UP CHUCK]

thanks mr. minority leader..that seems to be your only solution to the problems which you helped create

[yes]

Open the books. $500 MILLION for 24K students.

[LindaC]

Yonkers Schools have to make due with the money they were given. The teachers that were laid off must look for a job and stop the whining. You can't have it both ways seniority and tenure. If seniority weren't an issue, the young teachers wouldn't get laid off if they were good. Believe it or not, many districts are hiring our good teachers.

[anon2]

Again, the average citizens suffer while the developers get the tax breaks. I wonder which engineering firm Amicone will work for after Jan.2012? I think one of his business week firms is a good start. He was a sell-out and we are now feeling it. 200 less staff teachers are in Yonkers today than in 2006, while enrollment is up over 17%. NYS state aid formula uses multi year average enrollment that again leaves less money coming back to Yonkers that we send to Albany.

[Teacher]

If the new probable mayor-elect os so concerned over the lack of funding for the citys schools, what is he going to do as mayor instead of a assemblyman to correct this so called problem? I personally feel that the schools are more than properly funded. Its how they spend it is the problem.

[LindaC]

Again, I have a bridge to sell you. Yonkers had the highest student population in 2001-2003. Look it up. That's the problem with Pierorazio. He is a snake oil salesman. Always spinning. That is why Albany looks the other way and does not take him serious.

[Why do we put up with this stuff?]

Yonkers school do poorly with the funding they currently get. Which is amoung the highest per student out there. Open the books and show us where the money goes.

Now they will do poorly with less funding. Actually that sounds like a better deal for the taxpayer.

Yonkers is already spending too much on students. Fire 25% of the teachers and replace them with new ones. It can't get much worse than it already is.

[ANON]

In 2001-2002 Yonkers Schools had 26,447 students. Check the NYSED report card. Like I said, Snake Oil Salesman. Yonkers has not reached that population. Maybe that's why Albany turns a deaf ear. Why would they pick on Yonkers???? When Pierorazio leaves this will be unveiled.

[Need a Job]

Think of this possible scenario, Mikey becomes mayor in January, outs pierozzio, appoints a new BOE Supt, increased aid flows to Yonkers in April for the next fiscal year.Anybody else think this is a possibility?

[ANON]

This may be the remedy. It's all about leadership.

[Caractacus]

#10, Why Do We Put Up With...

Actually, of the neighboring 46 school districts near us, Yonkers ranks 45th in dollars spent per student. We are 2nd from the bottom among our geographical neighbors in the amount we spend on education/per student.

For some perspective, Pocantico Hills spends more than $42,000 per child.

Now, Yonkers is no Pocantico, granted. But, we can do better than $.36 per tax dollar collected when our neighbors with better schools are putting up to $.76 per dollar collected towards theirs.

Of course the money already in the system can be better spent. There is waste and inefficiency to be rooted out and cleaned up. But, the problem is bigger than that and the mayor's office, city council, state legislators, and governor--and especially an electorate that act as bystanders to an accident and fail to call 911--all have a role to play in making it better. Complaining doesn't change the lightbulbs. Getting on a ladder, twisting the old bulb, and replacing it with a new one, does. I'm a little tired of those (I don't mean to imply you are one, this is just a general statement) who sit from across the room and complain about the people holding, and climbing, the ladder.

Some of those people can be found at ypu.pressible.org (the changing-the-bulbs ones, not the complaining ones, so much).

[#]

Actually the next Mayor needs to implement this type of cut right across the board, But he won't he'll cry poverty, like our present poverty pimp and blame everybody else, except himself.
Look at all of those usual union feeders hanging onto Mike, because he too want's to grow the government.

[#]

Actually the next Mayor needs to implement this type of cut right across the board, But he won't he'll cry poverty, like our present poverty pimp and blame everybody else, except himself.
Look at all of those usual union feeders hanging onto Mike, because he too want's to grow the government.

[Fact Checker]

And then around 2005-6 he was saying that the demographics were changing and that there would be less than 25,000. Now he's talking up again.

[yes]

I don't care what other communities spend. $500 MILLION is getting wasted here every year. Have you seen the scholars walking around Roosevelt HS. Must be a bunch of Einsteins. Ever seen a book being carried? Morning, noon and night ... not a book to be found.

[where are they spending the money]

19,000 a student is more than enough to educate a child in yonkers!!!!!

[anon2]

Yet again the middle class is under attack. We argue over pennies in the grand scheme... nobody realizes the monies that go overseas every year in the amount of BILLIONS with little said. We are all puppets to the greatest scam.... our government.

[ANON]

Yonkers receives millions in Race to the Top money from the Feds. They also get Federal Magnet money, technology challenge grant money, STEM grant money. All these grants roll over into 3-4 years. This doesn't include Title 1 money. Pocantico Hills isn't afforded that luxury to subsidize their tax payers. Yonkers is VERY lucky to have these benefits paid by districts like Scarsdale, Bronxville and Pocantico Hills.

[knowhow]

Yonkers middle and high school teachers only "teach" 3 hours and 45 minutes a DAY! That's it! How about making teachers teach 5 hours a day, how much would that save? Probably fix the problems with their budget in one change of their contract! But teaching more classes will never happen, teachers will never teach 5 hours a day, never, because you see... it's all for the kids!

[Here we go again]

Here we go again, Pat "the worst union leader in yonkers" Puleo is trying to indoctrinate the masses with her boo hoo poor us - it's all about the kids speech.

SAVE IT, we the taxpayers of Yonkers DON'T CARE ANYMORE - do like the rest of us do, BALANCE YOUR BUDGET AND IF NEED BE, YOU DO WITHOUT.

You should get NO MORE MONEY...

When I was in school, we didn't have psychologists, in grade school we didn't have guidance and the librarian was somebodys mom who volunteered.

THERE'S A CLUE, HOW ABOUT THAT - IF THE PARENTS CARE SO MUCH THEN LET THEM VOLUNTEER !!!!! Volunteer as libarians, classroom aids, lunch mothers, etc..... you can wipe the red ink off the books .....

[anon]

Your analysis is right on the money but it is also applicable to the YFT and the Yonkers PTA who only worry their own gain and appear to exclude the taxpayers of Yonkers who do not have children in the system-stop being about whats in it for and screw everyone else.

[ANON]

You can't get parents to pick up their children when they are sick never the less volunteer.