$5M cut from District 9 budget

By Denae Brewer
Editor in Chief

Children in Highbridge and the rest of the city are in jeopardy. Not from crime, not from neglect, but from the ax—the budget ax.

Desperately trying to fill the $4.8 billion deficit created by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has targeted every city agency, including vital departments such as police, fire and yes, education.

The Mayor wants to cut $358 million from the Board of Education’s budget. With the bulk of the money — $190 million — coming from the school districts themselves. Community School District 9 — which includes Highbridge, Morrisiana and the Tremont sections of the Bronx — is slated to lose over $5 million dollars.

“The children will not feel the reductions directly in the classroom,” said District 9’s Acting Superintendent Stanley Mims. He explained most of the reductions would take place in the district office, where several support staff and non-essential spending would be cut.

However, Dr. Mims pointed out that the schools could not be completely shielded from the budget ax. “We will feel the pinch in our after-school and project arts programs which could be cut altogether.” An unfortunate situation, but Dr. Mims holds out hope. He said these programs could still receive funding from federally generated Title 1 money and generous private donations. “We’re looking at several resources right now and there is a strong possibility that money will subsidize any number of programs.”

Right now, the mayor’s plan for District 9 proposes to cut $925,000 from arts programs including music and dance, almost $700,000 from before and after-school literacy programs, and eliminating sports programs in middle schools. The plan also calls for the reduction of non-essential support staff as well as reducing school leadership funds by $417,000.

Wanda Jackson has two children attending CES 73. Although concerned about the quality of education they receive, she feels that the cuts are necessary for the benefit of the city. “It’s not fair that money has to be cut, but nothing in life is fair. The money has to come from somewhere and the schools are taking the smallest hit [three percent citywide].”

In fiscal year ending June 2002, District 9 received almost $132 million dollars from the city. Parents and educators understand the financial constraints the city is under, but some feel that certain budgets should remain sacred.

“There are so many other programs they could look at before pulling money away from the children,” said Lauren Taylor. The mother of three, Ms. Taylor believes in the importance of allocating as much money as possible towards education.

With an enrollment of 28,816 students, District 9 has exhibited a less than stellar performance on state and citywide reading and math tests—23 percent of the district’s fourth graders passed the citywide English Language Arts exam last year. “These children are failing and they [the city] are willing to sacrifice even more,” Ms. Taylor said. “There has to be an end to this somewhere.”

There are those in the City Council who agree.

The council’s Committee on Education is in strong opposition to the mayor’s proposed reductions. Arguing that education already made a substantial cut—$404 million—before Sept. 11, a cut that effectively cancelled all but privately funded after-school programs; the Board of Education is already operating at a disadvantage.

The committee urged parents to support their “Education First” edict which asks the mayor to invest more in education rather than deduct from it.

They have sponsored rallies throughout the city and feel parental involvement is key. Speaking at a council sponsored education forum, Council Speaker Gifford Miller urged parents to make sure they voice their opinion. “Please get involved in the rallies, send a letter, send a post card, make a telephone call,” he said.

The City Council has until June 5 to approve the budget. IIf you are concerned about the fate of the school’s budget for Highbridge students, please contact the United Parents of Highbridge at 718-681-5212.