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The City Council, which last year got caught in an education funding fiasco, is likely to push back on the mayor's proposed cuts.

Instead of 61,000 total seats next fall, officials said, there will be 55,000 — 6,000 fewer than the de Blasio administration had planned.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says the youngest kids still need the protection of masks for indoor group settings because they aren’t eligible to be vaccinated against COVID. But some say it's time to leave the mandate behind.

“If you want to help a working family, give them a free early education,” de Blasio said.