New York City Comptroller Brad Lander released Cuts to CUNY, an analysis of reductions to the City of New York’s contributions to the budget for City University of the New York (CUNY) ahead of the City Council hearing on Higher Education’s examination of the proposed Executive Budget. CUNY confronts repeated patterns of disinvestment and serious challenges to its finances stemming from inconsistent state and city funding, unstable tuition revenues, the expiration of federal pandemic aid, and rising costs due to inflation.
In Fiscal Year 2023, successive reductions to CUNY’s funding from the City of New York totaled $155 million, resulting in the loss of 235 faculty and staff positions. The FY 2024 Executive Budget reflects $41.3 million annually in permanent cuts for FYs 2024-2026. Reductions in staff positions and fringe benefits account for $35 million of these cuts.
“CUNY represents both the rich diversity and possibility that is New York City,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “This Executive Budget jeopardizes CUNY’s ability to provide the academic and support services necessary to catapult low-income New Yorkers into the middle class. CUNY remains New York City’s greatest opportunity for civic recovery and rebuilding after the pandemic, and the City must recognize the powerful value of a strong CUNY by realigning long term budget priorities.”
The CUNY system has 225,000 students spanning 25 campuses including senior colleges, community colleges and graduate schools. The overall budget for CUNY is $4.3 billion in FY 2023, which includes $3.1 billion for Senior Colleges (4-year) and $1.2 billion for Community Colleges (2-year). Although New York State provides the majority of CUNY’s budget, the City contributes over $600 million dollars, making up 14% of the overall CUNY budget with over 90% dedicated to CUNY community colleges.
In response to the latest PEG in February, a CUNY memo informed Presidents and Deans of a hiring freeze and a centrally-managed vacancy review process—which will result in fewer counselors, faculty and support staff. April Financial Plan still budgets $415 million annually in tuition and fees for FY 2024 and out and even if enrollment and tuition at Community Colleges stabilizes rather than continues to decline, CUNY will face devastating reductions in its budget– almost $141 million this year alone—and more in the outyears.
Lander continued, “Students striving to gain higher education, but who need academic supports and schedule flexibility to balance school with work or caregiving responsibilities will find classroom doors closed without professors to teach those classes. Without these classes and supports, students will drop out and in turn exacerbate CUNY’s enrollment and tuition declines and further strain the institution’s overall budget.”
CUNY educates a critical segment of the New York City and State workforce. A 2021 analysis by the Comptroller’s Office found that CUNY graduates earned $57 billion and paid an estimated $4.2 billion in State income taxes in 2019. The Mayor’s Executive Budget also jeopardize the expansion of successful programs such as CUNY Reconnect, Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) and Accelerate, Complete, Engage (ACE), further weakening the institution’s ability to attract and uplift students.
“Comptroller Brad Lander is right to raise the alarm about the harm to CUNY wrought by the mayor’s repeated budget cuts because cutting CUNY undermines New York’s communities, workforce, and economy,” said James Davis, President of Professional Staff Congress/CUNY. “CUNY graduates strengthen the City’s workforce and contribute $4.2 billion annually to the state economy, most of it here in our city. No university system lifts more students and families out of poverty and into the middle class than CUNY, but Mayor Adams’ cuts are undermining students’ academic and career success. We urge the mayor to heed the Comptroller’s and City Council’s concerns and restore CUNY’s funding.”
Read the full Cuts to CUNY report here.
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