Weprin Calls on DOE to Restore Cardozo Funding

Councilman Mark Weprin, D-Oakland Gardens, is calling on the city to restore hundreds of thousands of dollars that were cut from Benjamin N. Cardozo High School’s budget due to an error.

The city’s Department of Education is forcing the high school to repay $400,000 at a rate of $130,000 per year due to a city bookkeeping error, the councilman said.

The amount of money translates to one and a half teaching positions.

“DOE made an error and now thousands of students are left in the lurch in the middle of the school year, “Weprin said. “By cutting funds to the school, DOE is unfairly punishing the students for its own mistakes.

Weprin said the cuts could also lead to the loss of advanced placement courses, sports and supportive services.

The DOE could not immediately be reached for comment.

Also, Weprin said the DOE’s Office of Student Placement failed to enroll the expected number of students at Cardozo this year, resulting in the loss of an additional $160,000.

The school has been forced to make severe cutbacks due to the loss of funding.

“The DOE must restore the funding immediately so that BNCHS can continue to provide the outstanding education it has always offered,” the councilman said.