By Dan Murphy
The Yonkers City Council will consider bonding funds to help pay for additional tablets and laptops for Yonkers Public School students who are learning online–remote learning. The bonding would take several weeks to pass and sell the bonds, resulting in three months before YPS students have acess to the new tablets and laptops, if the current shortage of porable computers ends by then.
YPS Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada appeared before the City Council’s Budget Committee this week to discuss budgetary concerns and layoffs in the school district. Quezada said that YPS student attendance during remote learning is between 85%-90%.
If this figure is an accurate account of YPS students checking into classes remotely, then the remaining 10%-15% of students are not attending online classes. One reason for that could be a lack of a tablet or laptop, and that is why the Council will consider bonding to purchase additional laptops.
Quezada told the council that the district continues to hand out tablets and Chromebooks to students who need them. 400 devices were not returned to the district from the spring semester of remote learning post-COVID.
As great of a concern for Dr. Quezada and the YPS are the possible budget cuts that could come from NYState goverment holding back education aid. Governor Andrew Cuomo has been forced to withhold $21 Million to the City of Yonkers because of a $13 Billion hole that he has in the state budget as a result of COVID, and the lack of a bailout coming from the Federal government.
Mayor Mike Spano and City government were able to take the $21 Million hit by using all of its fund balance (surplus). That leaves the City government with no ‘rainy day’ funds for the upcoming year.“The rubber finally has met the road when it comes to the lack of aid to local municipalities,” said Mayor Spano. “The effects from Washington’s political jockeying and the lack of stimulus packages from the federal government and the state now have hit us. Big cities across the state, including Yonkers, have no recourse but to make severe expenditure cuts.”
Spano warned that in the near future, reductions in Yonkers’ costs likely will come from a combination of programs and an estimated cut to 220 positions, both vacant and filled.
Republican City Councilmembers Minority Leader Mike Breen and Councilman Anthony Merante, issued a statment criticizing both NY State government and state elected officials from Yonkers. “With drastic cuts in state aid to municipalities and significant decreases in economically sensitive revenues, the City of Yonkers is preparing to reduce costs by $21.6 million. These cuts could negatively impact city programs, services and personnel. Governor Cuomo has withheld $21.6 million in Aid and Incentives to Municipalities (AIM) and the economically sensitive revenues that Yonkers relies upon are forecasted to be $45-50 million dollars lower this current fiscal year due to the pandemic,”states the release.
Minority Leader Mike Breen said “our State leaders continue to fail us. The latest budgetary gimmick Governor Cuomo is using is delaying $21.6 million in aid that the City had been told was forth coming and budgeted for. Governor Cuomo knows that in order to amend the New York State budget, and decrease the already woefully low funding Yonkers is expected to receive, a vote of the NYS Legislature is required. However, a “delayed” payment does not need legislative approval.”
Breen continued, “This unexpected shortfall caused by Governor Cuomo and the consistent lack of advocacy from Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Yonkers finds itself in a position to layoff over 200 employees. I am committed to working with my colleagues in government to minimize the impact these funding reductions will have on our City’s residents.”
Council Budget Chairman Anthony Merante expressed his outrage at this latest ploy by NYS to shortchange Yonkers. Merante said “This is becoming an all too familiar, ugly pattern. In the last 5 years the City of Yonkers has been shortchanged by the State for over $ 300 million. We send our sales tax and state income tax revenue to Albany and when it’s time to get our fair share back, they stick it to us. This underhanded move of a $ 21.6 million “delayed payment hurts the City and the 220 City employees that will need to be laid off. These are employees with families and children who will be suffering by losing their livelihood in the midst of a pandemic. This is unconscionable! I urge our State representatives Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Senator Shelley Mayer to stand up and do right by Yonkers and urge the Governor to rescind this delay.”
Even more concerning for the City and the YPS is another round of cuts, or reductions in State aid from Albany. The $21.6 Million referenced above is for City aid, and those cuts will come from City services and employees, like Fire, Police and DPW workers. The next 20% cut in State Aid will come in education and could total $60 million less for the YPS. NY State goverment, and the City of Yonkers and the YPS are waiting to see if those cuts can be avoided if a bailout can be passed in Washington to help NY government, or if Joe Biden is elected President in November.
