One-third of schools to see budget cuts; latest news on data breach, and Wed. award dinner honoring Rep. Bowman!

June 26, 2023

1. We’ve done an updated budget analysis that finds that one third of all NYC public schools are facing Galaxy budget cuts as of June 14, compared to the same date last year, and about one-third are also facing Fair Student Funding cuts. We explain here why both are a real concern, and link to a searchable spreadsheet where you can find out where your school stands in terms of budget cuts or increases. Most concerning is how our analysis reveals that schools that enroll larger percentages of Black and Hispanic students, students in poverty, and those with disabilities are more likely to see cuts if the education budget is adopted. If your school is on the list for cuts, please call your City Council member to let them know not to approve the education budget as is. You can find their numbers here. The final vote on the city budget is supposed to take place sometime this week.

2. It will soon be too late to sign up for our annual Skinny award dinner taking place this Wed. night, honoring Rep. Jamaal Bowman, former Bronx principal and a champion for humane, high-quality public schools. Buy your ticket here.

3. Unfortunately, there was yet another student data breach announced last Friday by DOE, affecting about 40,000 students and untold numbers of school staff. I’ve written about this latest breach here, as well as another breach DOE failed to reveal publicly, which together provide yet more evidence of a troubling lack of commitment and follow-through when it comes to protecting the privacy of students, especially those with special needs.

Hope to see you on Wednesday at the Skinnies,