DC 37 Outraged Over DOE layoffs of Over 700 School Support Staff

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts and Local 372 President Veronica Montgomery-Costa voice outrage over the DOE layoffs of 714 school support staff

At a time when the NYC Department of Education continues to squander millions on outside contracts, it is laying off over 700 school support staff for budgetary reasons.

This first round of layoffs is taking place today and will see 127 workers lose their jobs. The workers are Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Specialists (SAPIS), Community Associates, Community Assistants, School Neighborhood Workers, Computer Service Technicians and others.

On October 16, the second round of layoffs is slated to take place. That round will include 587 school aides.

Veronica Montgomery-Costa, President of Local 372 of District Council 37, says, "I am outraged that these workers who play a critical role in the education of our children are losing their jobs. This does not have to happen. In the wealthier districts the Chancellor has been willing to allow parents to provide funds and hire parent-funded aides - a form of privatization. The Mayor also wants to divert taxpayer dollars and raise the cap on charter schools rather than pouring resources into the city's 1,400 public schools that educate our 1.1 million school children. Why is it that when budget cuts occur, children's needs come last and support services are the first to be cut?"

Cynthia Dowdy, Chapter Chair of Local 372's SAPIS workers says, "How can the city lay off workers who help parents, protect our children, especially at a time when drug abuse among our city's young people is on the rise. For example, without the one SAPIS worker assigned to IS 296 and IS 162 in District 24, the 1,218 students in those two junior high schools will have no one to stand between them and the increasing number of drug dealers that are trying to seduce them. These layoffs are a tragedy."

DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts said, "This is a clear case of union-busting. These layoffs come at a time when the NYC Department of Education continues to squander millions in taxpayers' dollars on no-bid contracts to private companies. Many of these contracts go to companies outside the city. The Administration continues to ignore the Civil Service system's rules and regulations."

District Council 37 is New York City's largest public employee union, with 125,000 members and 50,000 retirees.