Testimony of Randi Weingarten Delivered by Carol Gerstl before Joint Hearing of the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committee
Feb 6, 2006 3:03 PM
I am Carol Gerstl, Counsel to UFT President Randi Weingarten. She had planned to be here today, but today is the first day of the change in school schedules under the new contract. When we began hearing from teachers and union reps in schools of a great many anticipated problems in implementing this schedule (which was the one the DOE insisted on, despite our reservations), she decided she had to stay in the city to try to resolve as many issues as she could as quickly as she could.
She wanted to be here because she believed that Gov. Pataki was sincere four years ago when he disclaimed his own lawyers’ statements that an 8th grade education is good enough for our kids.
But if he wanted to prove that he meant it, he’s just missed what’s almost his last chance. Next to withdrawing his appeal of CFE, this budget would have been the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his commitment to giving our children the sound basic education they deserve and to which they are constitutionally entitled.
The $2 billion surplus, which is funding more than a billion dollars in tax cuts for big business and another billion dollars between the STAR school tax relief program (of which NYC homeowners get virtually nothing) and new tax credits for people who send their children to private schools, could have gone a long way toward fulfilling the CFE court order for a $2.8 billion increase for this year.
Instead he has made a sharp reversal on the incremental progress that’s been made to increase the city’s share of state aid. That couldn’t be more stark. Of the $634 million in new state aid to education including STAR, only $64 million, about 10 percent, is slated for NYC.
So I came here today to express my disappointment and to urge you, our friends in the senate and assembly, to seize this opportunity. It’s been 12 years since CFE began. That’s a whole generation of students who’ve entered and left our school system. Don’t let another generation go without a good shot at achieving their dreams. That’s why I say:
If not now, when?
If not you, who?
***
Perhaps most disappointing of all, in the face of so little for public education, is the proposal for a $400 million tuition tax credit program.
As far as I can see, aside from the legal questions involved, this expenditure will never fo for the intended purposes. If the purpose is to enable more low and middle income families to send their children to non-public schools, the evidence is overwhelming that tax credits don’t work. The vast majority of those who take the credit already sent their children to non-public schools, so this would simply be tax relief for this group of parents. And as for tutoring and other after-school academic programs, the federal government already pays for such supplementary education services for low-performing students.
But if you want to help parents defray education-related costs, then that ability should be made available to parents of all school-age children, whatever type of school they attend. Many public schools today require uniforms, for example. With art, music and other enrichments in the public schools drastically curtailed, parents must now pay for their children to receive this kind of instruction elsewhere. And have you seen the supply lists that elementary school parents must fill each September? Everything from crayons, scissors, compasses, calculators and portfolios to tissues, cleaning supplies and toilet paper. When I was a kid, those were part of the basic supplies provided in every classroom — or lavatory!
And if it’s tax relief that the proponents of the tax credit are after -- then, instead of giving a flat $500 to families earning up to $75,000 who send their children to private schools, you can offer a much broader and more fair tax reduction to all low and middle income families. For $400 million dollars you could offer a sliding-scale tax cut or rebate to families earning up to $80,000 of up to $150 a person. That would be $600 for a low-income family of four.
Or, if you want to boost struggling parochial schools, take a look at the recommendations made by the Attorney-General’s 2002 Advisory Committee on Non-Public Education, on which I sat. It suggests that state monies can be directed toward students in non-public schools for certain defined services, including academic intervention, computer hardware, teacher training and special education.
Let me say that I sat on that committee with people you might expect to have very different views from ours on this issue: Catherine Hickey, superintendent of the NY Archdiocese schools; Rev. Floyd Flake, whose church runs a very large school in Queens; David Zweibel, who represented Agudath Israel of America, and others. Still, we found common ground in these proposals. What I am afraid of now is that the unity we forged there will be destroyed by the governor’s proposal, just as it will pit parents against one another and divide communities. We should not allow that to happen.
But if your purpose is, as it should be, helping to ensure that every child has access to a sound basic education, I come back to some of the things that Justice DeGrasse identified as necessary ingredients. Those needs still exist today:
*Class size: Our class sizes are 15-30 percent larger than those in the rest of the state. Only 38% of our kindergarteners are in classes that meet the state goal of 20 or less. And, in our high schools, where students are preparing for tougher Regents standards, classes often average 50 percent larger than the rest of the state.
*Early childhood education: We call it universal Pre-K but in reality less than half of New York City’s 100,000 four-year-olds attend, and those only for half a day. When we know that the earlier we can reach children, the more their brains will absorb, this makes no sense.
*Safety: The promise of the SAVE school-safety law remains an empty one. For example, there are no functioning, fully-staffed SAVE rooms in all of Manhattan. Students who have assaulted or threatened teachers often return to that same teacher’s classroom within hours.
*Crowding: Every large high school in the city (but two) is filled beyond its official capacity. That crowding alone accounts for many of the incendiary encounters that plague our most dangerous schools.
So how far would $400 million go to address those needs? Assuming that New York City residents receive 60 to 75 percent of that $400 million, what could our schools do with that money instead?
· For $230 million, we could reduce class size in every grade, K-12, by two students. This would bring us closer, but still not at, the rest of state average. Or you could target those funds for even greater reductions in Regents classes where the disparities with the rest of the state are outrageously unfair to our students. With students required to pass five Regents today, graduation rates are threatened. No wonder, when our kids are learning Sequential Math in classes that average 30.5 in the city compared to 19.8 in the rest of the state. Or in chemistry classes of 29.9 compared to 21.4 in the rest of the state. This disparity must be addressed.
· For $300 million, we could provide full-day pre-K to every 4-year-old in the city. Right now, less than half the city’s 4-year-olds attend pre-K. For most working parents, a half-day program is inadequate and inconvenient.
· For $171 million, we could double the number of School Security Officers. We could place a guard at every school entrance. We could have a substitute SSA pool, so schools don’t go unprotected or have to compromise security at another school when an agent is absent or pulled away. Or we could use some of that money to install and update security cameras and classroom communication systems. (Would you believe in this day and age, thousands of classroom teachers have no way of summoning help in an emergency?)
· For $200 million you could create 2,500 new school seats each year on a pay-as-you-go basis. For instance, you could build two early grade schools, an elementary school and a high school with that money. You could reduce overcrowding, make room for smaller classes and give kids science labs and roofs and windows that don’t leak.
· Or, for $168 million you could build and/or renovate science labs in 64 high schools. Add another $211 million and you could also put labs into 179 middle schools. Laboratory experience is mandated and part of the 8th grade science Regents exams, yet most middle schools don’t have the labs to provide that experience.
Clearly, better choices can and must be made. It’s time to fund CFE now.
***
Now, we have other budget and legislative priorities as well. Time doesn’t permit me to go into each one in detail. They include:
Fund the SAVE law: Our surveys reveal that a majority of schools do not have the mandated supervised rooms where disruptive students can be sent to cool down, await disciplinary action and continue their studies. The cost of the 2000 SAVE legislation, including teacher training, increased guidance services, whole-school discipline planning, etc. was originally budgeted for $150 million for NYC, but funds were never appropriated. Those were the right goals, and they should be made real with adequate funding.
Let teachers retire at 25/55: The governor’s budget includes a local option retirement incentive. As part of our contract agreement, the Bloomberg administration and we worked out what we think is a better approach for city teachers: to permit them to retire without a pension reduction at age 55 with 25 years of service. Teaching is a physically and emotionally demanding job. And with new academic standards and teaching mandates, the pressure is intense. Although many educators are glad to serve kids for three decades and more, others find that 25 years constitutes a career that has peaked. We urge you to support this change.
Reform the Taylor Law: As you know, the governor vetoed legislation you approved to expedite teacher contract agreements. That was a modest attempt to level the playing field between public sector labor and management — a real six-month deadline on negotiations followed by state intervention — and real penalties for any side that fails to bargain in good faith.
Rejecting Taylor Law reform could lead to more job interruptions, not fewer. The transit strike clearly demonstrates some of the law’s shortcomings. Let’s learn those lessons and make the Taylor Law more fair.
Protect charter school workers: As many of you are aware, the introduction of new, state-funded, privately operated schools that drain money from existing public schools may well harm existing public schools in upstate districts.
However, if the cap on New York City charter schools is lifted, the law must safeguard employees’ right to organize without fear of employer intimidation or retaliation. The current protracted process enables employers to interfere in organizing drives and to target and harass pro-union workers. That is why we urge a simpler card check system and true protection during organizing campaigns so employees can freely exercise their right to choose to unionize. Let Family Child Care Workers organize: The UFT, working with AFSCME upstate, is fighting for basic worker rights for some of New York’s most under-recognized public servants: the 30,000 women who provide subsidized childcare in their own homes. At current per-child rates, many earn less than minimum wage and get no vacations or health benefits. But, as independent contractors, they are not permitted union representation under current law. In just 3 months, nearly 6,000 providers in New York City signed authorization cards saying they want the UFT to represent them. They need enabling legislation to give them collective bargaining rights. Illinois has corrected that legal loophole and we urge you to give New York’s family childcare providers the same opportunity to get fair treatment on the job.
Thank you again for being the friends of public education you have always been. I know the children of New York City can continue to count on you as their powerful allies.
