School Chancellor Defends Latest DOE Layoffs In Heated Council Hearing
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The City Council Finance Committee's Tuesday hearing was heated when council members questioned Department of Education officials about the loss of almost 700 school aides' jobs, the largest layoffs to date under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. NY1's Education reporter Lindsey Christ filed the following report. The layoffs happened last week, but on Tuesday, City Council Members told Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott that they would have helped avoid the layoffs of almost 700 school aides' jobs, if he had just told them in time.
"I also reject the theme that somehow we could not have averted these layoffs," said Brooklyn Councilwoman Letitia James.
The layoffs sparked emotion, even for officials. During the Department of Education's three-hour testimony, the famously calm chancellor got into several yelling matches with Finance Committee Chair Domenic Recchia.
Recchia accused Walcott of ignoring his inquiries while working behind the scenes to target school aides.
The chancellor told City Council members that they had already opened the door with the budget deal last June.
"It was also made clear in our remarks and our joint press release that the budget deal still included 1,000 layoffs in non-uniform, non-pedagogical titles," said Walcott.
Council members said they had thought the budget protected all school staff, and not just members of the teachers' union.
They also asked if these layoffs were retaliation after the school aides' union, DC37, did not agree to one of the mayor's budget plans, but the chancellor said no.
"We have not targeted any particular union at all," said Walcott.
The chancellor said principals made the decisions to cut the 672 aides, and DC37's last-minute proposals to save the jobs would have required sacrifices from hundreds of additional schools.
The principals' union president testified that neither he, nor most of his members, had been consulted, and they might have agreed to the deals.
Getting back jobs in the school system will not be easy for these workers. Last week, just two days before they lost their jobs, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced two more rounds of budget cuts and a hiring freeze, so even if funds are found, principals are not allowed to rehire the laid-off aides.
Several former aides who attended the hearing said they have filed for unemployment and may soon need welfare and food stamps.