UFT President Michael Mulgrew issued a statement regarding the deep budget cuts announced for New York City public schools. 

"These are unnecessary budget cuts to our public schools. They are driven by City Hall's false political narrative that New York City is about to fall off a fiscal cliff. Revenues are higher than expected, investment from Albany is up, and reserves are at a near-record high.

Rather than protect our public schools, City Hall proposes to cut overall funding, and on top of that, is making good on another threat by clawing back $109 million from city classrooms. That means 653 schools - 43% of the school system - will be hit now with midyear budget cuts. Class sizes will rise, and school communities will be needlessly damaged.

At a time when Albany has sent more money to New York City and has sought to correct a decades-long inequity by passing a law to lower New York City class sizes, City Hall is undermining that work by reducing support to students, educators, and school communities."

— Michael Mulgrew, President, United Federation of Teachers