With classes already well under way in New York's schools and colleges, Gov. Paterson is calling for more than $1 billion in midyear cuts to education and health care.

The cuts would cause "irreparable harm to students and the neediest New Yorkers," NYSUT officials responded Oct. 21 in testimony before the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.

Halfway through the month, the governor released a Deficit Reduction Plan proposing a $686 million cut in K-12 school aid in the current school year.

The announcement came just days after Paterson announced a $500 million across-the-board cut to state agencies, including more than $90 million from the State University system and a proposal to cut $53 million from the City University system.

Community colleges would face $34 million in cuts, including a reduction in base aid.

"Midyear education cuts cause chaos and disrupt the learning process for students, their schools and their colleges," said NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi. "All students will suffer, but this proposal harms, most of all, the state's neediest students who are already at the greatest risk and require the greatest additional support."

NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin said cuts would add insult to injury, considering aid to schools was flat this year.

"Now, after school districts have tightened their belts, eliminated the jobs of thousands of teachers and school staff, and carefully and strategically trimmed their budgets to make up for the state's failure to adequately fund schools, this proposal seeks nearly $700 million dollars more in program and personnel cuts for the current year," Lubin said. "It will cause pain on top of pain, and it is absolutely unacceptable."

Hits to health care

In addition to the K-12 and higher education cuts, the governor's plan would trim $471 million from Medicaid and other health and mental health programs and reduce payments for hospitals, nursing homes, home care and other major services.

Funds to education grant programs would be cut by 10 percent. That includes targeted pre-K, extended day grants, Al Shanker grants for National Board Certification, Special Act school district additional grant monies and special education staff turnover prevention grants. Aid to libraries would be cut for the fourth time in less than three years.

In testimony before the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, Steve Allinger, director of NYSUT's legislative department, urged lawmakers to find alternatives to a devastating disinvestment in education.

"These cuts immediately beg the question: Where is our plan for New York's economic recovery? If these cuts are enacted in the current year, programs and staff will be eliminated at a time when the unemployment rate in New York state is high and rising," Allinger said.

More than 6,000 teachers, school-related professionals, university staff and health professionals' jobs are gone through layoffs and attrition, Allinger noted.

And while the governor has suggested school districts can dip into their reserves to absorb the cuts, he has decided against using any of the state's $1.5 billion "rainy day" fund, Allinger said.

"These cuts will place significant pressure on local property taxpayers at a time when state leaders are attempting to lessen the burden ... The proposed job-killing cuts will slow New York's economic recovery and do irreparable harm to students and the neediest New Yorkers," Allinger testified.