Brad Lander wants to spend cash on nonexistent students, yet he calls himself city comptroller

NY Comptroller Brad Lander says the DOE ought to use unspent federal COVID-19 help to cowl cuts to particular person public college budgets.
Stephen Yang

What do you name a “fiscal watchdog” who requires spending taxpayer cash on nonexistent college students, simply because town occurs to have the money? Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander.

No joke: Lander claimed Monday town is sitting on $506 million in uncommitted federal COVID college help that ought to go to revive what he says are $469 million in training cuts on this 12 months’s finances.

By no means thoughts that town actually doesn’t want to spend it as a result of faculties now have fewer youngsters (thanks, partially, to teacher-union-pushed COVID college closures and mandates that drove away households). By no means thoughts that it’s unsustainable to maintain budgeting for unneeded sources (i.e., lecturers) for the reason that federal cash burning a gap in Lander’s pocket will run out all too quickly. By no means thoughts, too, that town already spends practically twice the nationwide common per pupil.

But what sort of comptroller argues that town ought to spend the dough, simply because it has it? It’s taxpayer cash, in spite of everything; if it’s not used, it will save them cash.

If it’s really accessible, as he suggests, perhaps the money can go for one thing really wanted. Certainly, Metropolis Corridor says it is already dedicated for different packages.

Alas, Lander’s extra considering pleasing the lecturers union, which desires to maintain the identical variety of lecturers within the faculties (if no more!) even with fewer youngsters. That’s why it not solely opposes the cuts however has pushed for smaller class sizes, too.

“There’s no fiscal have to shortchange our youngsters,” says Lander. Once more, youngsters who're not within the faculties.

What Lander actually means: He discovered cash to assist the union — and having it indebted to him is extra necessary than doing his job on behalf of taxpayers.

He ought to vary his title — from comptroller to . . . teachers-union flack.