$70 Million Payment This Month Will Come without 20% cut
By Dan Murphy
The Yonkers Public Schools, YPS, got a reprieve from the NYS Division of Budget, when they announced last week that they would not cut the YPS state education aid by 20%. YPS receives $300 million in State Education Aid every year, and a 20% cut would have totaled more than $60 Million in reductions that YPS Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada and the Board of Education would have had to make.
“We are glad that the Governor has heeded our call and decided to not withhold the September payments for our schools,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and state Sen. Shelley Mayer, chair of the Senate education committee, said in a joint statement. “These 20% cuts would have been devastating.”
A planned $70 State Education Aid payment will now come at the end of September. Because of the continued State budget troubles, and the continued wait for a Blue State Bailout coming from Washington DC, future education aid payments from NY State are still not guaranteed.
The democratic majoirty on the Yonkers City Council was pleased with the news. “Some great news to share with you. Governor Cuomo announced that the state will not be withholding money for education as we had previously feared. 20% cuts to our schools would have been devastating and I thank the Governor and our state delegation for heeding our call. While this is positive news for Yonkers Public Schools, the city is still facing financial difficulties on the municipal side. While we should brace ourselves for some tough times ahead, rest assured the council is doing everything it can to minimize any negative impact on residents,” wrote Council President Mike Khader in an email blast.
But the two republicans on the City Council asked that a $21.6 cut in state municipal aid also be restored. Minority Leader Mike Breen said “I want to thank Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Senator Mayer, Education Chair, for fending off the delay of this month’s aid that is critical for our children’s education. However, with no commitment to future payments, many difficult decisions still must be made. I am asking that the state do the right thing and give us the funding that you have already budgeted for us.”
City Councilman Anthony Merante said, “Thank you, but, that is not enough. A further commitment to funding the remaining portion of the school year and the reinstatement of the $21.6 million in AIM aid must follow to prevent catastrophic reductions to our programs, services and City’s workforce. The City’s long term finances are in jeopardy as the state’s unwillingness to meet their obligations will have significant negative effects on the June 30, 2020 audited financial statements as well as the current and future budgets and that is not acceptable.”
The hope for many democrats in Yonkers, and across New York State, is that Joe Biden will be elected President and that democrats will take control of the U.S. Senate. If that occurs, then New York State could receive a bailout to help cover its $13 Billion budget hole, and Yonkers could receive some of the municipal aid that was budgeted but then cut.
The YPS already had to make budget cuts of $21 Million to its 2020-21 budget because it did not receive enough funding from the City and the state to keep up with the contractural salary increases of employees and other rising costs.
