$14 Million Budget Hole in YPS Budget Means 142 Staff Layoffs
Yonkers Federation of Teachers is urging parents, educators, advocates and community members to show up in full force at the Yonkers City Council’s public budget hearing at 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 22 at Saunders Trades and Technical High School, 183 Palmer Rd., to oppose cuts that would harm our public schools and students.
The Yonkers Board of Education has adopted a budget that includes 142 staff layoffs. The affected positions span the entire district, from elementary school to high school, including guidance counselors, social workers, art and music teachers, Montessori instructors and vital staff who keep our schools running.
These austerity measures would have a devastating impact on students, risk widening educational inequities and impede significant progress Yonkers public schools have made in recent years.
The diverse district serves large high-needs and high-poverty populations, and its graduation rate of 90 percent still exceeds that of any other Big 5 district and of the state average.
Thanks, in part, to stable levels of state and federal funding in recent years, Yonkers has been able to invest in community schools, which include essential wraparound healthcare and social services for students and their families. It supports nationally and internationally recognized programs, innovative career and technical education opportunities, and apprenticeships that are propelling students toward fulfilling jobs in the global economy.
Now, loss of federal COVID relief funding and smaller increases from the state have opened a budget shortfall that threatens to push our students and these opportunities aside.
We cannot return to the chaos of perpetual crisis. Strong schools mean strong neighborhoods, and that is what attracts and keeps families and businesses in our community. Join Yonkers educators in urging the Yonkers City Council to use all available avenues to close the $14 million budget shortfall without risking our students’ futures.
WHAT: Yonkers City Council Public Budget Hearing
WHEN: 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 22
WHERE: Saunders Trades and Technical High School, 183 Palmer Rd.
Sign up for public speaking begins at 6:30 p.m.
