Yonkers Public Schools faces millions in budget gap
School leaders say it's not because of mismanagement, but because of rising costs of educating children in Westchester County.
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Yonkers Public Schools officials are sounding the alarm.
They say the district is facing a $101 million budget gap.
School leaders say it's not because of mismanagement, but because of rising costs of educating children in Westchester County.
Wednesday coverage
"You know, there are a variety of stressors on our budget," said Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Anibal Soler.
According to Superintendent Soler, some of those stressors include increased costs for the districts special education programs, transportation and health care.
"Those are things I can't change in my budget," said Soler.
He says the State's Formula for calculating school aid often leaves Yonkers short.
"This year is the last of our reserves, and we have about $24 million in reserves. We're planning to use $18 million," said Soler.
If the gap isn't met, Yonkers programs and services could be cut.
"We could be facing layoffs, you know, and loss of jobs. That means loss of services and programs for children," said Yonkers Federation of Teachers President Samantha Rosado-Ciriello.
A former school superintendent says that number is very concerning.
"The buck stops with the superintendent of schools and the Board of Education. They are the ones charged with maintaining the academic program with fiscal fidelity to the tax payers. That's their responsibility. If things happen, how dare you try to blame anybody else," said Former school Superintendent Michael Cohen.
The budget isn't finalized yet. Leaders say they're going to continue to advocate for more funding.
