Money intended for schools in city, BX may pay off new contract for teachers

Schools in the Bronx and the rest of the city are scheduled to get almost $2 billion extra from New York State each year, but there might be a change in those plans.The Daily News is reporting nearly

News 12 Staff

Dec 4, 2006, 2:48 PM

Updated 6,522 days ago

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Schools in the Bronx and the rest of the city are scheduled to get almost $2 billion extra from New York State each year, but there might be a change in those plans.The Daily News is reporting nearly one-third of the money awarded to city schools may go to paying off the new teachers contract. If that happens, it would push salaries of some teachers into the six-figure range for the first time.The Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) took the state to court for the extra school money, arguing how underprivileged students in the Bronx and the rest of the city were. One education advocate said this is a prime example why the $1.9 billion awarded is not enough. Teachers Union President Randi Weingarten said she would like the CFE money and the teachers contract to be separate. Mayor Bloomberg (R-NYC) and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein said they want the money to be spent on pre-kindergarten classes, small high schools and special education.It's not known yet whether the city or state will contribute additional money to the teachers contract. The agreement still has to be ratified by the members of the teachers union and the Panel for Educational Policy.