Bloomberg: There Could Be 21,000 Teacher Layoffs

With Gov. Cuomo's first budget proposal since taking office imminent, Mayor Bloomberg announced yesterday that city schools could be facing a $1 billion budget cut, which could spell massive teacher layoffs. On his WOR radio show yesterday, he raised the specter that as many as 21,000 teachers could lose their jobs this year: "Scuttlebutt is that the education budget will be cut statewide, and New York City's share of that would be a billion-dollar cut."

Bloomberg estimated that if the $1 billion cut is approved, the city would be forced to cut 15,000 teachers. That's in addition to the 6,166 teacher layoffs Bloomberg plans to make in the fiscal year beginning July 1, making for a loss of nearly a quarter of the 75,000 teachers employed by the Department of Education. Bloomberg lamented the unfairness of the layoffs, focusing on the rules requiring teachers hired last to go first: "We'd have to part company with some of the best teachers. It's a state law, 'Last in, first out.' There are great and terrible teachers at every level of experience and age...In the private sector, nobody would do 'Last in, first out.' You'd do it on the 'Who is the most productive.'"

The only teachers who would be immune to the cuts are those in special education, English as a second language and speech. The worst cuts would hit District 9, which includes the Highbridge section of the Bronx, who would lose 27 percent; schools in District 1, which includes Manhattan's lower East Side, District 10 and District 12, which include Riverdale and Tremont, would all lose 26 percent of their teachers. United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew criticized Bloomberg for supporting the end of the millionaires' tax in light of these developments: "I would hope the mayor would fight for the children. He has chosen that his millionaire and billionaire friends are much more important than the children in the schools of New York City."

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By Ben Yakas in News on January 29, 2011 1:50 PM

Comments [rss]

motuorg

Mayor Bloomberg is a very wealthy...Boob. "Hmmm let's see my term is nearing the end..I know, we'll extend the term limit...yeah....I get to somehow persuasively influence my own tenure, and be a hypocritical putz a year later"

Teachers...those free loaders...let's scrutinize them , reduce their pay, remove tenure, and expect them ALL to be 100% excellent , save our cutlure and set it on its merry way. And do it all right here in one of the most expensive places to live, with some of the hardest kids to teach, in some of the most difficult neighborhoods to teach.

Wow!!! All this and a masters degree for $51,000!!!!

Sounds like a deal to me...Bedford Sty...AP Chem here I come...

"Or maybe...hmmm...Air traffic control....prison guard........'

Godisallknowing

Well, teachers seem to always get the shaft with low salaries, little public support, and now cut us first! Meanwhile, demands of education INCREASE, and now you are to do a better job with LESS! Just remember if the KEY is EDUCATION, then you get what you pay for!

blink667

"21,000 teachers may lose their jobs, but the good news is I increased my fortune by $4 billion dollars last year".

teacherman

I think it's all posturing.

The teacher's contract is expired so it's a negotiating ploy.

There was supposed to be 6,000 layoffs last July which never happened. Besides, the numbers generally thrown around internally are "6,000 layoffs, but every July an average of 4,500 teachers retire and 2,000 resign so the layoffs will be averted through attrition"

Or at least that's what the borough UFT rep told me last year...

GalBklyn

Imagine - an agency with a budget of 23 billion, whose sole purpose (in theory) is to educate children.

First thing Bloomberg thinks to cut - teachers.

Honestly, Mike -- what is your real agenda?

LazyNanny

YAY for Mayor Bloomberg! Lay off all 75,000 of these parasites, no one is gonna miss them!

Scott

At least we have a Chief Digital Officer now, right?

Mordicai

Hey, remember how we were all bagging on Christie for his short sighted behavior in slashed budget problems that would come back to haunt the future? Does firing 21,000 teachers sound suspiciously like that? 'cause it does to me.

Rod

again, just read this ONE article to illuminate what's REALLY going on.

(i repost bc it moved it to the end of my comment automatically)

http://www.nydailynews.com/rea...

Rod

here's just one example of the thousands of corrupt scams to steal billions from the fattest school budget in human history...

please notice how the bloomtard administration gets caught lying about each and every thing they say... and they got away with it every single time except in the blizzardgate. (his lies were a success in CityTime and Black-gate. his lies succeeded)

this mayor is the scariest mofo ever.

he just announced a $7 billion expansion of his never-turned-a-profit Bloomberg News - he intends to be the next rupert murdoch, and his announement that he'll need to hire 300 reporters was the most devious thing i've ever seen in american politics.

it's why no one wants to tell the truth abuot the most corrupt politician in city history.

if you go back and look at the "success" of boss tweed in the 1800s,bloomtard imitates him perfectly, making "donations" all over town and especially to the press in return for no one doing anything about your endless crimes.

bloomtard even admitted to money laundering in the haggerty scandal and the DA refuses to do anything about it.

scary shit

http://www.nydailynews.com/rea...

Rod

don't forget the billions mike stole to give to PRIVATE schools secretly, or the billions he stole from the budget to fund bogus CHARTER schools that are FOR-PROFIT so crooks like Eva Moskowitz can earn almost as much as the president of the usa while she runs just 3 schools!

schmeep

Thanks for the clarification, I'm also a supporter of Bloomberg, like you.

Rod

guess it wasn't so wise in hindsight for bloomtard to open up hundreds of new schools in the luxury buildings owned PRIVATELY by his richest real estate developer friends.

of that $23 billion school budget, $6 billion alone now just goes to paying rent, which makes no sense since schools used to pay $0 in rent since we put them into PUBLIC buildings.

rudy and mike changes all that. duh, that's what repuglicans do.

Rod

let's see here,

in 2002, bloomtard had an outrageous 12 billion dollars per year to spend on schools.

in 2011 he has $23 billion dollars per year for the schools.

HOW will we ever weather losing ONE billion?

that'd mean we'll only have 12 billion EXTRA dollars to spend on this one agency this year!

times sure are tough!

and you'll notice that in 100% of articles about this issue or any other money issues, no reporters ever point out that City Hall has never been richer or had more disposable cash

Rod

thanks for including no opposing viewpoint, Ben!

i understand though: every single thing bloomtard says is a lie, so why on earth would you permit any rebuttal or challenge to his fictions?