By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CITY HALL — Parents and politicians are speaking out against a new cost-saving measure that punishes thrifty principals.
The city recently announced that principals would have to turn 30 percent of their unused funds back to the Department of Education at the end of June. In the past, principals were allowed to keep all of the budget money that they didn't use, and many intentionally saved the funds to offset future budget cuts.
City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley led a rally on City Hall steps Thursday demanding that the city allow principals to keep any money they don't use this year and spend it the following year.
"If you ask principals to do more with less, and then you demand the money back, that is robbery," Crowley said. "It's hypocritical, to say the least."
Now, principals must decide by March 18 whether they want to roll over 70 percent of their remaining funds or whether they want to spend all of the money now. Many principals are rushing to spend their money on low-priority supplies, just so they don't lose the funding, Councilman Daniel Garodnick said.
"The chancellor is essentially telling principals to go shopping," Garodnick said.
Last year, schools rolled over a total of $80 million, but Garodnick and others predicted the figure will be much lower this year, as principals spend money at the last minute. The politicians said they have heard from principals who wanted to save the money to pay teacher salaries next year, but now they are buying items like photocopiers that aren't essential.
Bonnie Piller, co-president of the PTA at P.S. 128 in Queens, said parents are "dismayed" at the prospect of losing hard-won funds for their schools.
"Our children's education is not a bargaining tool," Piller said. "These funds should remain untouchable."
Schools Chancellor Cathie Black initially proposed that schools give back 50 percent of their unspent funds. But after hearing from concerned principals, Black announced Monday that schools would only lose 30 percent of their saved money.
"Over the last few weeks, I heard thoughtful feedback from principals across the five boroughs about how we can help them continue making prudent, long-term budget decisions, and we've crafted a solution to let them do that," Black said in a statement.
That didn't satisfy the city's parents and local officials.
At Thursday's rally, Councilman Mark Weprin went so far as to compare the city's actions to organized crime.
"It's like the mob coming to the owner of a business and saying, 'Give us a piece of the action,'" Weprin said. "It's just wrong."
