Education funding is always one of the most hotly-debated issues in the state budget...and Governor Cuomo set a starting point in his spending proposal Wednesday. School advocates believe a substantial increase in Cuomo’s state aid proposal might not even allow schools to keep up.
A billion dollars sounds like a lot of money...but education advocates agree, that proposed increase in school funding is too little. In fact Alliance for Quality Education Director Billy Easton says anything shy of two (B) billion just allows schools to tread water.
“There are many schools that have already closed their libraries down or shuttered them part of the week, schools with almost no art and music offerings, schools with very few advanced placement courses that are important to get students into college, that have had to cut back on career and technical education.”
(AQE Statement on School Funding Issues Here)
Easton expects lawmakers debating the budget to seek an increase in Governor Cuomo’s budget request for education...by as much as doubling the proposal.
“That requires really prioritizing our kids…and the state can afford to do it. The stte has a large surplus and the state also has the option of raising taxes in millionaires, billionaires and hedge fund managers who could afford to pay just a little more in taxes in order to fund our schools.”
School Boards across the state will have to work with the aid amounts. New York State School Boards Association President Tim Kremer says the property tax cap, which most districts follow, is near zero due to the consumer price index.
“Whatever you can raise locally will be minimal, unless you’re willing to pierce that cap and need a 60%, super majority of voters to approve that. We’re more dependent than ever on state aid and my hope is that we can get more state aid to support those districts, otherwise I think you’re going to see some pretty lean budgets.”
Board members across the state were hoping for a larger increase in aid…knowing that the once 2-percent cap would be even less. He and his members came up with a detailed request that called for a $2.3 billion increase this year…just to maintain quality and institute minimal new initiatives. Kremer also expects lawmakers will work to boost overall school funding.
FULL-DAY PRE-K & COMMUNITY SCHOOLS PROPOSALS
School funding will be a major debate in state budget talks...but Community Schools are also in line for proposed support in Governor Cuomo’s budget. New York State School Boards Association Executive Director Tim Kremer likes the idea to an extent.
“This is intended to really help some of these students that are coming from highly impoverished backgrounds. The money as he’s allocating it is something that we’re trying to understand. I’m not sure we’re going to be able to fully support the allocation of funds, but the concept is a good one.”
Community schools might have social workers, health services right in the school and extended hours. Alliance for quality education Director Billy Easton also sees promise ...but wonders if the 100 Million dollars proposed accomplished the task. Easton also hopes to see changes in a proposal for universal Pre-Kindergarten...especially after a promise two years ago for full-day programs for all four-year-olds.
“We should be keeping our promise to our four-year-olds. The governor put a small amount of money into Pre-K expansion, but it’s only for our three-year-olds, nothing for the four-year-olds. He promised every single four-year-old in the state, two years ago, that they would have full-day Pre-K. Now those four-year-olds are six and their younger brothers and sisters don’t have full-day Pre-K.”
More than 100 thousand children about to enter school lack access to full-day programs. Kremer and school board members also likes expanding Pre-K access...but wonders if support is too selective.
“We would support that. His allocation of resources, the way in which that money is reserved for specific programs, going through a grant system, rather than the state-aid system. We agree with the ‘what’, not so much the ‘how’.”
Kremer and Easton believe there’s support among lawmakers to increase funding for schools and programs such as community schools and Pre-K over the budget proposal Cuomo released this week.
