Mayor to schools: Don't expect more

Mayor Ken Cockayne said the Board of Education's bid to get millions in extra funding in the coming fiscal year should be canned. "I'm going to flat fund them," the mayor said Wednesday night. The schools are seeking a 5 percent budget hike to $109.4 million in the next fiscal year along with a $2.7 million cafeteria budget and support for a $2.7 million bid to switch to full-day kindergarten. Cockayne said he's having none of it. He said the schools should get by on the $104.3 million allocation they got last year. "They just need to manage their money better, just like the city does," Cockayne said. The mayor's position, which has at least some support on the Board of Finance and City Council, is likely to produce sharp opposition from those who see education as a critical need for the city to attract young families. School officials are slated to present their budget plan to the finance board at a hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday in the council chambers on th first floor of City Hall.
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