Schools lacking enrollment will see budget cuts put forward by New York City Mayor Eric Adams in the next school year. A loss of $215 million is expected, making the Adams administration negligent toward students’ academic progress.

Adams proposed a $98.5 million preliminary budget for the 2023 fiscal year, set to begin on July 1. However, schools with low enrollment are bracing for massive monetary losses in 2023, as the Adams administration focuses on bettering other aspects of the city.

Still, parents believe a significant decrease in school funding is unfair to their children’s academic needs and some are beginning to protest, according to NY1.

After a long virtual learning period, students need proper guidance and assistance to achieve their educational goals.

The city plans to reduce funding by $375 million next year, except for $160 million, which is covered by federal stimulus dollars, The Gothamist reported.

Instructors need the necessary tools to put their students on the path to success. With a massive decrease in school funding, students may face a regression in their learning, and it is not because of the pandemic.

Over 97% of educators reported learning loss from students over the past year. Another 57% of educators estimate students are three months behind their social-emotional intellectual capacity, according to a Horace Mann study.

With students already behind in school, Adams is ignoring the needs of public schools, instead using the city’s funding to prioritize public safety and assist the poor.

Adam’s plan will not help the New York City school system recover from the detrimental effects of the pandemic. Imposing budget cuts is not the smartest way to increase enrollment in schools.

The $215 million drop in school funding means that public schools will potentially face the unpredictability of enrollment rates declining even more than now. Nonetheless, the budget proposal must be approved before the school system endures any definite changes.

Adams is not responsible for the decline in school enrollment, nor is the city. Schools painfully lacking student registration next year will receive remarkably less funding than those who meet citywide enrollment predictions.

The significant void in school funding will not motivate teachers or students to be resilient and work harder to fulfill citywide expectations. Some teachers will lose patience with the school system and students will eventually not care about their academics like they used to.

Dents in school funding can overwhelm teachers in the coming years because their students will depend heavily on rigorous instruction to move up a grade level.

“Right now New York City should be putting students and their futures at the forefront of its budget planning,” community-based organization Alliance for Quality Education tweeted. “Students need tools and resources to succeed and thrive. We should be investing in our children, not cutting funding,”