President's Perspective
Back in the political arena
Dec 7, 2006 12:08 PM
The latest — and hopefully last — court decision in the 13-year-old Campaign for Fiscal Equity case is one of those classic “Is the glass half empty or half full?” tests. The answer depends on your outlook.
First, looking on the bright side, the decision does not say that the amount the court ordered — $1.93 billion (adjusted for inflation) — is necessarily enough to provide a sound, basic education to all city schoolchildren. Taking the most conservative view of the court’s role in enforcing the state constitution, the judges said only that the method that was used to calculate that amount was “not irrational.” Determining the actual necessary amount, the decision said, is the job of the Legislature and the governor.
On one hand, $2 billion more a year certainly isn’t chump change, and it can make a difference. On the other hand, those of us who dared to hope we would finally be able to give our city’s kids the educational opportunities that money buys (small classes, universal pre-K, after-school programs) are now facing the possibility that we may have to scale back our aspirations. All the earlier decisions had recommended more than double that amount.
Still, even after the initial disappointment, I’m a glass-half-full type. As I see it, this lawsuit has already had a positive effect. How so?
Anticipation of the decision, paired with a strong city economy, provided the leverage to loosen purse strings in both Albany and City Hall over the last few years. The ongoing litigation sharpened the public’s focus on education and — along with the two-pronged fork of No Child Left Behind and mayoral control — created a public impetus for improving schools. That, plus a lot of hard political work and bargaining helped secure the historic $13 billion state school construction deal and the 40-percent-plus increase in teacher pay since 2002. That is all part of the CFE legacy.
(Of course, the heightened interest in education also produced the relentless pressure to boost student test scores, which had its price in the constant testing and test prep our members now must do, as well as the additional tutoring time the city sought.)
So, once again, now that the courts have spoken, it’s up to the politicians to act. Except this time, the court’s order can’t be ignored.
Fortunately, the governor-elect has made this a Day-One commitment — even though he has also promised a major statewide property tax reduction. And the UFT, along with many other advocacy groups, will be pressing him and both houses of the Legislature to do the right thing.
What concerns me most is reaching agreement on how to spend the new funds. As always, the smaller the pot, the nastier the fight. With less to spend, it is especially important that our priorities (which the lower courts affirmed) become the state’s and city’s priorities as well.
Right now there is no consensus. The mayor wants to open more small schools. The chancellor wants more incentives and lead teacher positions for math and science instructors. The City Council seems to be zeroing in on expanding full-day pre-K. And above all, parents and teachers want smaller classes.
We have a big job. If we believe that smaller classes and more early childhood and career-tech opportunities are clearly the best investment to get the greatest good for the largest number of students — and we do — then we must work to convince others of that. In this effort, parents are our strongest allies.
Along with the Alliance for Quality Education, we are sponsoring an advocacy campaign to demonstrate to the governor the breadth and depth of the parent and teacher support for our spending priorities. If you have not received a postcard to fill out, you can send a message via our Web site at www.uft.org. Click on the Action Center and send Governor-elect Spitzer a message.
Still, I can’t hide my disappointment at the Court of Appeals decision. In all their deference to the separation of powers, the judges missed the forest for the trees.
If this country (and state) are truly committed to closing the education gap, we must be willing to make a substantial investment in urban education. According to NCLB, that gap — which is probably more economic than racial (though in today’s financially striated America it is hard to separate the two) — must disappear in just seven short years. As impossible as that sounds, a few schools have shown it can be done, but only with an extraordinary effort.
There are those, like authors Richard Rothstein and Jonathan Kozol, who believe it will take a major assault on poverty itself before poor and privileged children can have a level playing field. And indeed, the more researchers delve into it, the more they reveal how much ground poor children have already lost before they enter school.
But intensive intervention, starting early and continuing through high school, can compensate. I laid out what’s needed in 2005 when I proposed an Education Enterprise Zone for the city’s neediest schools: more hours (which can happen on staggered schedules without increasing teacher time), small classes, highly qualified teachers, a structured curriculum, individualized instruction and instant remediation, parental involvement, life skills and character education, appropriate support, family and health services. But that all costs money, lots of money if we’re talking about ensuring that all children succeed, not just some.
The problem is that cutting corners doesn’t work. Every corner cut means more children who won’t get what they need to break those demographic chains. That is what is most troubling about the Court of Appeals decision.
Governor-elect Spitzer saw that when, three weeks before Election Day, he visited the UFT elementary charter school in East New York. He saw the classes of 25 with two teachers. He saw the self-discipline and perseverance and respect for others that our children were learning and practicing. He saw a school commitment to parent engagement and the reciprocal parent involvement. And he saw that this was a highly effective, inner-city school where teachers have a strong voice and where the union contract plays a critical supporting role.
In other words, he saw what gap-closing education can be. Hopefully, he will take that memory to the Statehouse, and it will be a vivid picture to guide him when he submits his first executive budget.
So, while we must plan carefully now to use the anticipated funds wisely, let’s not bemoan the sparse fruits of our efforts too soon. All the crop is not yet harvested.
And while we prepare to reap the rest, may you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday.
