“The Department of Education (DOE) continues to pull the wool over the public’s eyes. DOE has avoided transparency and accountability for its unilateral actions to remove funds from school budgets that do not reflect the city budget. Now they are enacting changes to school budget policies that provide funding flexibility within the existing budget, something the Council demanded they exercise all along. Yet, the $150 million that DOE announced today is another inadequate and misleading step that will exacerbate inequities in our school system, because some of these funds being made available will go to schools with increased budgets. Mayor Adams and Chancellor Banks need to stop this charade that harms our students, and restore the funds that they have taken away from schools – not by a fraction but in full.”

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