When I started reading the details of this budget proposal, I stopped and stared in disbelief at the very first paragraph in the news release from City Hall. While outlining a $70 billion plan, Mayor Bloomberg singled out the UFT for causing Albany to withhold $250 million over teacher evaluations. That is a drop in the budget bucket. One that made headlines by design.

Mayor Bloomberg outlined a $70 billion fiscal plan today that doesn't include any tax increases. For his last year in office, Bloomberg's preliminary budget reduces spending by 1.1%, and estimates $4.5 billion in Sandy-related costs, which may be reimbursed by the federal government. The Mayor's office also warns City agencies to brace for a $2.5 billion shortfall next year.

Bloomberg also says 2,500 teacher positions could be lost through attrition the next two years, 700,000 hours of afterschool programs could be eliminated, and $67 million could be cut from the budget for school supplies. The Mayor says these decisions were necessary "due to the refusal of the United Federation of Teachers to agree to a teacher evaluation system." What do you say?

Are you pleased with Mayor Bloomberg's proposed budget that doesn't raise taxes during the upcoming fiscal year? What's your reaction to his proposed changes to the Department of Education? Is he right to put the blame the teachers union for the loss of State funding?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

Taxes need to go up for the wealthiest New Yorkers. No question.

The mayor is still somehow touting his education record, even though we have gigantic class sizes (that are higher than they have been in a generation & will surely continue rising after those additional 2500 teachers vanish), huge inequities from school to school, and a bias toward charter schools, for whom the DOE steals rent-free space from the public schools that it often lets wither. All of my children's' schools already rely on parents to buy school supplies for our kids, the classrooms and the main office - how can he give us less than that?? Why doesn't he cut the enormous fees paid to outside consultants and contractors? I bet a reduction in all the useless standardized testing would save millions, too.

Can't wait for the next mayor.

Anni - Manhattan

david v Goliath its biblical/ finally someone stood up to him and mayors come and go, afterall. One of the worst we've ever had. And heres the pretzel logic: a city like NYC to hand the power over to one individual whose only qualifications are hes a swell, this is the net result. The nation was smarter: it chose competence over a rich rube who hated women and the 99% on entitlements. NYC deserves better. No businessmen or sycaphants lets be selective and choose wisely.

JS
Flushing

John,

Hope you are well my friend! OMG.....there he goes lying again! The UFT did not refuse whatsoever to a teacher evaluation deal! It was put on the table by the liasons Mr. Bloomberg had seated with the UFT. Mr. Bloomberg was the one who said no.......... Most districts in New York State have a clause in their evaluation systems that have it for only a year. You have to see how things work and all! Less than one year until he is out..... Hopefully the next mayor will have "children in NYC Public Schools" as her/his priority.

FANILOW in FLUSHING

Sounds like the mayor is out to destroy or decimate the department of education and protect the rich, typical right wing ideology, and he supported Obama??

Felix
Bay Ridge

John,

Taxes should never be increased. New taxes should never be imposed. Existing taxes should be cut, cut and cut until they are gone.

Bloomberg knows nothing about operating schools. The quicker he's gone, the better for the students, the parents and the City as a whole.

Joe
Port Richmond, SI

Hi John,

Of course we play the blame game. That's nothing new. He is a total failure of the complete DOE. I don't believe any of his figures or polls that he or his cronies come up with.

This is how all of these politicians get elected they promise, get their votes, then they give with one hand and take back with the other. [AND SO IT GOES] In the interim no one's feelings are ever considered. People are just having a ruff time with this nightmare going on in the whole state.

[ONE MORE TIME I MUST ASK AGAIN=JUST WHERE ARE THE JOBS THAT WE NEED] [ALL OF THESE POLITICIANS ARE SET IN THEIR LIFETIME JOBS, THERE MEDICAL IS TAKEN CARE OF AND WE ARE LITERALLY LEFT OUT IN THE COLD.] People are getting more than dis-heartened with situation that is just sitting on hold at our expense.

Thank you John,
maxxiee
mp

The Mayor can save $100 million dollars in education spending by placing the 1400 ATRs in to vacant school positions rather than hiring new teachers.How does the Mayor get away with this waste of taxpayer money!

James (Educator)
Middle Village

I'm disappointed the mayor is not making education a priority, but a political issue. Education should be taken serious if not it with affect the future generation. Also, cutting after school program and activities will only make student seek the street in their free time.

Larry, Washington Heights

The City wants the right to fire bad teachers after 2 years. What is the UFT's fear? That too many teachers will be found to be ineffective? I don't think so. Besides, can you name another job where you can't be fired for poor performance? None, other than politics and teaching.

Frank - Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Hi John

i cant wait toll Bloomberg get outta office so Mayor Quinn can take office she can open all the fire companines and start the school buses running again and give the MTA the contract they need my buddies were without a contract for a year

Herman
upeer west side

Hi John,

Considering it was written by a smug, pretentious, self-righteous, self-satisfied autocrat with the humanity of a dead fish, the budget isn't that bad.

Jordan
Flushing, NY

I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE BUDGET THE ONLY THING I KNOW IS THAT THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGONE SOON WE WILL HAVE OUR CITY BACK.

PEDRO
BRONX

The mayor is playing hardball to prove a point. The people of the city have to remember that the mayor and people like him will not suffer as a result of his position. Ultimately the mayor wants to be able to dismiss teachers at will with not due process like in a corporation, but teaching not like being an investment banker or assembly line worker there are far to many variables that the proposed evaluation system just doesn't recognize. Teachers are like anyone else in the sense that they need to protect their livelihood because teachers stressed out about keeping their jobs or a building full of inexperienced teachers is not in the best interest of children.

Daniel, Brooklyn

No, I do not think that the UFT or the Teachers should be solely blamed for the cuts Bloomberg is proposing. I think Mr. Bloomberg should accept a very large portion of the blame, because he is a bully and his idea of negotiating is "I want to have it my way", and therefore he refuses to listen to OTHERS.

Theresa
UpperWestside

The mayor is wrong to blame teachers for the loss of funding. The majority of teachers work really hard every day to meet the needs of each student. A fair evaluation system is exactly what is needed to measure teacher effectiveness. The City must reach an agreement with the UFT. Stop bullying teachers.

Pat

The United Federation of Teachers and the Department of Education agreed on a Teacher Evaluation Deal on January 25, 2013. When Mayor Bloomberg learned of the deal, he said, “No” to it. It is clear that this mayor’s philosophy is “My way or the highway!” Bloomberg’s proposed budget is unethical and punitive and should be defeated by conscientious New Yorkers.

Antoine
Bronx

Further reducing resources for school counseling will be devastating to the well being of our students and families. Even the current level of funds allocated for counseling services is woefully inadequate.

-Andrea (Manhattan), Middle School Guidance Counselor

When is the union going to stop protecting bad teachers??? If they come up with a solution that actually cuts poor teachers, the mayor would jump on board. This is why the mayor has to close schools every year.

-Howard
Forest Hills

it seems that the mayor is just going too far
he changed the 2 term limit so he could run again
he has taken the freedom from the people and bullied his way to a 3rd term
passed laws on what we could drink
he wanted to make kids eat breakfast in the classroom instead of in a cafeteria
he is going against the unions playing with the school kids transportation
he's going against the bus drivers and not even willing to sit down and come to an agreement
he knows this is his last hurrah and wants to go out with a bang against everything that we trusted him to protect he should be ashamed of himself

E from Glendale

I am so tired of this dance. Every year it is the same old story. However, this year he can blame the UFT for budget cuts of teacher layoffs through attrition, cuts to afterschool programs and school supplies. Once again Mayor Bloomberg refuses to take any responsibility for the failed negotiations of a teacher evaluation system with the UFT. Incidentally, was Professor Ester Fuchs from Columbia University also actually insinuating that the UFT was to blame for this? Perhaps I misunderstood her.

Why do most people that I talk to both professionally as well as personally say that it will take 30-50 years to undo what he has done to New York City and that he has ruined the NYC public school system. Mayor Bloomberg should be wholeheartedly ashamed at the legacy that he is leaving behind.

Lisa
Upper east side

While education is a huge issue and I am a parent, I also question what supplies are teachers and the unions addressing. As parents we are given a list of what to supply for the classrooms and then its also deplorable that at the end of the school year these items are thrown out. I don't agree with the mayors budget but it seems to create motion with the unions to listen versus dictating what teachers want. while I empathize with teachers about the evaluations its about time that they realize the workforce is always evaluated and so should they.

Mr. W

I say he should start trimming bureaucratic staff hiring at Tweed before he touches schools. Instead the hiring of more Tweedies continues

Claudia

Cant wait for Mayor Bloomberg to leave office, he's bad news for New York City and for the schools, he's like Freddy Krueger, terrorizing New Yorkers

Carmen

The mayor has no idea what he's doing. Maybe the union would agree to a teacher evaluation system if it was made by educators and not business men. Get people that have worked in the classroom to create these rating scales... And to think that he want to cut early childhood classes, the demands of kindergarden get harder and harder each yr. how does he expect children to succeed without the proper foundation. It also makes me very sad and angry to think that there has been no mention of students with disabilities.

J,
Teacher of students with severe multiple disabilities Brooklyn

My name is Art.

I think that Mayor bloomberg should be investigated by the City Controller. He is creating his own empire before leaving office this is the reason why he wanted a third term as Mayor to hurt the middle class. This Mayor keeps blaming the teachers union for not coming into an agreement. But the truth of the matter is that, this Mayor does not show up to any of the meeting to confront the union. This Mayor is a big liar and he should be remember as the worst Mayor in history. He is hurting the teachers, the school bus drivers, matrons and the children's of New York City. At this point Mayor Bloomberg care about finishing the micro apartments buildings.

He don't care for any one in New York City, All he care about is making more money for him self.

Who is at fault about loosing the funding for our children's education, and not coming to an agreement on teachers evaluation?

Yes, Bloomberg has a very unique way of dealing with things. I for 1 do not agree with all his policies and decisions. But,honestly I believe he is the only one trying to fix our NYC school system for the benefit of our kids. The UFT is only for the interest of the teachers and only the teachers who they represent. They are both playing games with our children's education and funding.

This most stop now!

We all know how powerful they both are. But its time to put the ego aside for the kids of NYC. It's time for the UFT to come to the table with something beneficial to the children of this city for once. And Mayor Bloomberg, its time for you to play nice!

Mery

I think it's a disgrace how were cutting back on education funds and program but yet where quick to send billions of our tax money to aide foreign countries.

Frances

We seem to forget , bloomberg runs Schools and city needs as a business.

F.W.

As anybody can see what happens in NYC School system is an absolut zero. Why would we spend money for a system that does not work?

There are 2 main causes why the system does not work:
1. The majority of the teachers are very bad prepared. Merely they do not know the subject they teach. And here is a long story why? Because they are coming out from the same syetem.
2. The bad students. The main goal of school is to teach not to educate you. Your education must come from family. The role of school is to teach you the subjects. No student must be allowed to go to the next scholar year if he/she did not achived a certain level of knowledge in that subject.

Schools shall not be a place where to keep the the kids out of the street. For that are jails. Schools are for learning and teaching. This was in a nut shell but the problems are very deep in the system.

C.S.

Before he makes such dire predictions about cutting funds to schools- where teachers work directly with students both before, during AND after school, why doesn't he instead look to cut the many UN-necessary edu/bureaucrat management positions at his "networks" and Tweed. Between the DOE top heavy Management and all the consultant contracts he could save vital classroom positions AND still have money to give the s hooligan bus drivers the job security they so desperately need

Wanda
Manhattan

Is this the legacy Mr. Bloomberg leaves before departing? Is he really intent on laying off 1800 educators referenced in tge daily news. At the same time giving money to his old college?

W.J.

Would you work for the Doe? Your a professional zoo keeper for a dysfunctional system what we need is a mayor who supports education and who is concerned for their professional advancement. Really would you take the job? Please restore the board it wasn't a prefect system but they cared for students and education. Mayoral control is a failure. Please get rid of the consultants and failing administrators..

Zhou

Dear NY1,

I think the cutting on teachers is a poor decision. I would have to study more the reason why the Teacher's Union and the mayor has not reached an argument. Nevertheless, as a teacher myself, it feels education becomes a second plan decision, which makes future generations and education also a second plan decision.

Best Regards,
Michelle

This new teacher evaluation system, as devised by Bloomberg, does not eliminate incompetent/ineffective teachers. It is merely a method to weaken the UFT's protection of teachers, the bad AND the good.

I have seen numerous blogs and articles where they claim Bloomberg has already given principals written guidelines for dumping teachers resulting in some principals implementing a reign of terror. Some teachers are given Unsatisfactory ratings to get even with them if they file legitimate grievances with the UFT. (eg. sexual harassment grievance, forced to teach more than maximum amount of classes out of license, observed only for classes forced to teach despite not being licensed in area).

WORST OF ALL: Some teachers claim that they have been told that their unsatisfactory ratings will be changed to satisfactory if they resign. When they try to return to the DOE at a later date, they find that the principal has put them on a list of "not re-hirable". One teacher told me that she did not have an unsatisfactory rating but went to Westchester for a higher salary. The principal tried to convince her to stay. When the teacher tried to return to the DOE a few years later, she found that the principal had put her on the "not re-hirable" list and she was not given an explanation or justification for this.

"JJ from Bay Ridge".