While some school districts are getting more money than last year, teacher layoffs are still possible in Buffalo Public Schools. Even though the state contributes more than a million dollars more in funding than last year, some districts, like Hamburg districts, may still have to slash jobs. Despite the additional funds, 16 teachers and aides will still be fired even after hundreds of kids rallied to oppose the decision.
The elimination of federal COVID funding has left Buffalo Schools with a $80 million shortfall. The superintendent of a school in upstate New York has spoken out against the city’s handling of hundreds of asylum seekers last year, saying that the city has failed to meet its commitments to pay the astronomical tuition that has risen to $800,000. Buffalo suburb Maryvale School District Superintendent Joseph D’Angelo recently blasted Mayor Eric Adams’ administration for failing to reimburse the district “not a penny” for the funds spent to educate 76 immigrant youths.
Case in point: New York City, which is seeing record migrant flows into the United States, is trying to find ways to send arrivals elsewhere to make room for them. The original budget for education, which included transportation and staffing expenses, was $400,000. D’Angelo claims he can achieve a fiscal balance this year by reducing expenditures while maintaining high taxes.
America has been fighting a record number of asylum seekers across the US-Mexico border since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, and the controversy surrounding kids from Buffalo is just one example of this. In the run-up to the November 5 election, which will put Biden against Trump, a fellow Republican, immigration has become a significant issue for voters, particularly Republicans. Illegal immigration has increased, according to Trump, because Biden has loosened immigration restrictions.
Districts use Title III money to ensure that immigrant and English language learner children get high-quality educational services. While the precise distribution of funds is still up in the air, the state is making every effort to have the money arrive before the start of the school year.
