Lessons in uncertainty
On Friday, more than 200 employees of the City School District of Albany were laid off. They include social workers and administrators, reading teachers and home-school coordinators. Non-native speakers lost their ESL teacher. High school seniors lost the guidance counselor who’d steered them for the past three years, just as their college admissions process begins. These are frontline educators, men and women who make a difference in the lives of Albany’s children every day.
High-need school districts are a sinking ship, tossing cargo overboard to stay above the waterline. Meanwhile, ashore, the state of New York airily waves a hand and says, “They’re acting prematurely. Help may be on the way. Or not.”
If the situation weren’t so desperate, it would be ridiculous.
The pandemic, the economic freefall, the political discord — this crisis is coming at us from all sides. No question that New York is operating under dire conditions and without a clear view of what the future might bring. But the state could ease the uncertainty with clear communication — telling school districts what to expect if federal aid does not arrive. Instead, school districts cannot get straight answers.
State budget director Robert Mujica asserts that the state has not cut any school aid — yet. Some money has been withheld, temporarily, while the state waits for federal aid. And if that help never appears? Then around midyear, he says, the Cuomo administration will “work with the Legislature to ensure school district need is accounted for in any actions going forward.”
That’s good to hear. State aid is far more critical to poorer districts than more aff luent ones. But the state has yet to tell schools officially that it plans to shield high-need districts. So far, these assurances are just public relations.
What’s more, schools are open now. If districts pass the next few months spending money as if everything was going to be fine, they risk having to make even deeper cuts later. It’s hardly premature to plan for the worst.
Albany school officials sent a letter to Mr. Mujica on Sept. 18 seeking clarity. They’re encouraged that the state intends to help high-need districts, they wrote, and asked how that “commitment to equity will translate to dollars.” They also asked: Will the district have to give charter schools their full share of state aid, or will they too take a share of the cuts? Millions of dollars are riding on these questions.
That letter has gone unanswered. But in a statement to the Times Union, the Division of Budget said, “In the absence of federal funding, we will work with the Legislature to ensure that all public schools — district and charter — are treated fairly.” That’s a non-answer.
Imagine if districts were told, “If federal aid fails to arrive, your district can expect to shoulder a reduction of X amount. Payment reductions will begin on X date.” They’d have something to work with. They’d be able to make better plans.
Mr. Mujica has emphasized that the funding shortfall is the federal government’s fault. He’s right. It ’s unconscionable that the Trump administration and Senate Republicans have refused to provide pandemic relief for states. But the lack of straight answers from the state is dismissive of our communities’ fears and our school districts’ very real peril.