DFE Blogger and Rochester City Councilwoman Carla Palumbo reports on the state of the current proposed City budget. Notice how much different the City’s budget process is from the County’s. What? You’ve never heard about the County process? Yeah, that’s the point:

» Firetrucks and Rec Centers… » Carla Palumbo

The City Budget process is almost to the end…City Council’s vote on Tuesday night will wrap up over a month of budget review, hearings and deliberations. There are a few major changes proposed in this budget — the two drawing the most ire are the changes to the Fire Dept and Rec Centers After-school programs. Given the tight budget there were some fairly significant cuts to City staff, mostly in IT — but the Rec Center After-school program is being cut and the Fire Dept methodology changed with a loss of 16 positions (not lay offs, loss is by attrition)

NYSUT is fighting to keep the state’s share of special education funding for elementary school kids the same, whereas Spitzer’s new plan aims to reduce state funding.  This is in addition to the slipping promise of additional funding by the state.  The NYSUT blog picks up the story:

“Union: Pre-K cost shift another unfunded mandate.” March 07, 2008. NYSUT: A Union of Professionals. www.nysut.org

Under current law, the state reimburses counties for 59.5 percent of approved costs for preschool special education administration costs. The governor’s proposal would require districts where each special ed child resides to reimburse the child’s resident county — adding a $46 million cost burden onto districts already set to receive less state aid than promised last year.