Fiscal Year 2011 City Budget Update For CUNY
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| Pat Arnow |
The FY 2011 City budget for CUNY is welcomed good news. CUNY community college base aid was increased over last year’s budget; a significant victory in this difficult budget climate.
There were some disappointments, too. Vallone Scholarships and funding for some institutes and centers were cut. Overall, over $32 million was restored. These restorations are a tribute to the hard work of our members, other members of the CUNY community, and to the many City Council members who supported CUNY. In particular, we thank them for standing steadfast in their support for CUNY in difficult times.
All of the following budget lines (with the exception of the CUNY Nurse Professional Training Initiative) were completely cut in the Mayor’s Executive Budget.
Base Aid Restorations:
| General operating Aid | $21.4 million |
| Local Initiatives (Additional City Council Member Items): | $ 1.24 million |
| Murphy Institute | $ 0 |
| Total Restoration | $22.614 million |
City Council Initiatives Restoration (reduction from FY 2010):
| Creative Arts Team: | $ 400,000 (-550,000) |
| Dominican Studies Institute: | $ 250,000 (-$220,000 |
| Puerto Rican Studies Institute: | $ 250,000 (-$220,000) |
| Black Male Empowerment Initiative: | $2,250,000 (-$250,000) |
| CUNY Nurse Professional Training Initiative: | $ 500,000 (New Item) |
| Vallone Scholarship: | $6,000,000 (-$3.5 million) |
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| Total Restoration: | $9,150,000 |
| Total New Initiative: | $ 500,000 |
| Total restorations/initiatives | $32,264,000 |
The PSC is still attempting to gain clarity about agreements for additional funding for the institutes and the Black Male Initiative.
So how did CUNY do? That depends on where you start.
FY 2010 started with an adopted Community College Base aid budget of $252.9 million. But this was reduced during the year by several midyear budget reductions called PEGs (Program to Eliminate the Gap). By the time the Mayor’s Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2011 was issued, Community College Base Aid was reduced by $10.4 million. So, by year’s end, FY 2010 base aid was $242.5 million dollars. The Mayor added $1 million to this number in his Executive Budget. The Mayor’s budget both cut programs and added others. If we look at the end of FY 2010 and the adopted budget for FY 2011, CUNY Community College Base Aid increased by $23.6 million or a 9.7% increase.
