"While Mayors, Governors, and other leaders come and go over time, CBC is an ever-present organization that presents a consistent and vital message that is so important for the state and the city." NYS Department of Financial Services Superintendent Ben Lawsky
New York State imposes more than 200 special education mandates beyond those required by federal law. Many of them translate into higher costs and fuel rapid and unsustainable spending growth. School districts may soon get some relief, if reforms proposed by the New York State Department of Education are approved by the Board of Regents and, as needed, by the State Legislature.
New York State imposes more than 200 special education mandates above and beyond those required by federal law.[1] Some were put in place to protect due process or guarantee timely services, while others limit class sizes and caseloads. All translate into higher costs and help fuel rapid spending growth.
In the last two months, the Bloomberg Administration announced two agreements with municipal unions. These agreements have been heralded as union-labor compromises to prevent the planned layoff of more than 5,000 employees.
Today is April 1 and the State has a budget in place to begin the fiscal year, a relatively rare occurrence and a good one. Governor Cuomo and the legislative leaders deserve credit for crafting a budget that is not only on time but fiscally responsible as well.
School aid is the State’s largest expenditure item, comprising fully $21.2 billion or one-quarter of the State operating budget.[1] To help close a $10 billion gap in the coming year’s budget, Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed reducing school aid by nearly $1.7 billion to $19.5 billion.
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposals to cap property taxes and reduce education aid mean that New York State’s 676 school districts will need to manage with fewer resources; their biggest challenge is to reduce spending without hurting services for the more than 2.7 million public school children.
In early 2007 newly elected Governor Eliot Spitzer and the State Legislature responded to a court mandate to provide every child in New York with a sound basic education by adopting a plan to increase state school aid by about $7 billion over the next four years.
President Carol Kellermann outlines what Mayor Bloomberg must accomplish in his negotiations with the Teachers' Union in order to get the vital reforms needed to fix the school system.
CBC released today a new report on how New Yorkers should judge the next teachers’ contract with the City of New York. The latest teachers’ contract expired on October 31, 2009, and a new agreement is expected to be reached soon.
The New York City teachers’ contract expired on October 31, 2009. A new agreement may be reached soon. As the City faces a $5 billion budget gap for the next fiscal year and key educational reforms remain unfinished, here are key questions parents and taxpayers should ask to judge whether the next contract is a good deal for them.
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