Editorials

The rest of the promise

Apr 24, 2008 6:44 PM

The governor and the state Legislature came through big time early this month when they restored the promised funding for education — even in the midst of economic uncertainty — that had been agreed to in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit. That agreement was predicated on the belief — and court ruling — that urban school systems in New York State had been seriously underfunded for many years to the point where students were not receiving the kind of education guaranteed them in the state constitution.

What makes this more impressive is we were fighting huge cuts the last time we had an economic downturn and Gov. Pataki proposed a $200 million cut for the city five years ago.

So the promise was made last year and although Gov. Spitzer wavered some, the new governor and the Legislature restored all and really came through for the kids.

But that’s not the whole story, unfortunately. Part of the promise last year was for New York City to also come through for the kids. Instead, the city is still planning to chop more than $500 million dollars from the school budget next year. That’s on top of the $180 million in midyear cuts imposed so disastrously — because most of them went directly to the schools — this year.

Yes, the nation’s economy is in uncertain shape right now — although no one knows, yet, how this will affect the city. But state revenues went down, and yet state leaders found a way to hold schoolchildren immune from the economic travails. Why can’t City Hall step up as well?

Budgets are a way that communities order their priorities. If education is truly as important to the mayor as he claims, surely there are ways he can work out a budget that will also keep the promise made last year. We call on him to do so and ask the City Council to help in that effort.

If cuts must be made to the school budget, the Department of Education must open its books so that the public can help find ways that the central administration and not the schools will bear the brunt of those cuts. Right off the top of our head we can think of some easy targets, like those high-priced consultants Chancellor Klein is so enamored of hiring.

But the best solution for the schools and the students they serve is for the mayor to keep the promise.