‘It takes a village’: locals eye parks, school improvements in wake of budget cuts

NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – New York City residents now have a chance to spend $1 million in city funds locally, and many have taken aim at parks and schools under the hum of contentious budget cuts that leaders say threaten the agencies’ operations. 

Participatory budgeting ballots opened across 24 City Council districts on Saturday, allowing all residents over the age of 11 to vote on how $1 million should be spent in their neighborhoods.

“This is a way where our communities are making it very clear they care,” said City Council Member and Parks Chair Shekar Krishnan. “It is such an organic reflection of what we value as New Yorkers.”

Much-needed repairs for parks and schools dominate the districts' ballots. Across just five of the participating ballots, 37 out of 44 projects are dedicated to schools and parks. 

It’s not unusual for park and school projects to take the forefront in participatory budgeting – an annual program that represents one of New York City residents’ few opportunities to engage directly with how their taxpayer money is spent through proposing and voting on public infrastructure projects over $50,000. 

But this year, the process happens as schools and parks adjust to budget cuts. Mayor Eric Adams in November announced three successive rounds of 5% budget cuts to city agencies, the last of which was recently canceled. 

Some cuts have been rolled back and programs spared – but parks and schools still risk losing staffing, maintenance and programs like early education, according to city leaders.

Participatory budgeting represents just $24 million of a city budget that tops $100 billion. But it could offer a roadmap to Adams and city officials in budget navigation, Krishnan said.

“Participatory budgeting isn’t going to solve [budget cuts] but what it does do is show in a very meaningful way how much parks and trees matter to New Yorkers,” Krishnan said. 

Participatory Budgeting Projects

Over 2,400 ideas were submitted this year, covering everything from road repairs to school bathroom renovations to an oral history project in Park Slope. 

In many districts, schools take up well over half the projects and reflect overdue needs. In Park Slope, a decades-old high school bathroom needs repairs. In Astoria, a middle school auditorium needs renovation after 16 years of disrepair. 

In Sandy Nurse’s Brooklyn district, eight of 11 projects focus on public schools, including a $750,000 school library renovation and a basketball court for another middle school.

“It goes to show the city hasn’t prioritized investment in our educational facilities,” Nurse said. “It’s just so clearly top priority for our communities because that’s reflected in participatory budgeting.”

This year, Park Slope residents are looking at two projects in Prospect Park, one being handrail and lighting improvements for the path that connects Nethermead to Long Meadow – a key part of what makes parkgoers feel “lost in nature,” Morgan Monaco, president of Prospect Park Alliance. The park could also receive path improvements to the Peristyle pathways near Parkside Avenue. 

“These aren't the sexiest projects, but this is something that’s really critical to people’s quality of life,” Monaco said. 

In Council Member Krishnan’s Queens district, tree planting in an area with little green space and tree cover returns to the ballot after winning last year – a popular project seen on many ballots citywide. 

For parks, the participatory budgeting process won’t directly fund anything threatened by budget cuts, which would affect staffing and maintenance. But budget cuts mean doing more with less, so any avenue of funding to parks will make a difference, Monaco said. 

“When cuts come to the Parks Department, everybody loses,” Monaco said. “It takes everyone coming together to achieve the goals of keeping the park clean and safe.” 

The People’s Money

For many New Yorkers – particularly those without voting power in regular elections – participatory budgeting is their first direct interaction with city government, offering a window into how projects go from idea to completion. 

“It really empowers constituents and neighbors to both work together and have a real voice,” Krishnan said. 

Nurse sees the focus on parks and schools as a product of what community members interact with most in their day-to-day lives – it’s glaringly obvious when a street is unshaded by trees or a school bathroom is in disrepair. 

“The mayor would do well to take notes on the participatory budgeting process,” Krishnan said. “It is reflected clearly through participatory budgeting what our values are as New Yorkers.”