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There's little to like in bad-news budget NYSUT: Gov. Pataki puts students and senior citizens at risk
Feb. 2, 2006 NYSUT officers Alan Lubin and Dick Iannuzzi meet with state Assemblyman Marc Alessi, D-Suffolk, at the United Federation of Teachers' annual legislative breakfast in late January. Gov. Pataki's proposed budget would force unimaginable cuts to school staff and programs and a loss of nearly $3 billion in Medicaid funding while providing billions in new tax cuts, mostly for the wealthiest New Yorkers. "The governor's plan is a huge step in the wrong direction and ignores today's realities," said New York State United Teachers President Dick Iannuzzi. "The governor has turned his back on equity for public school students, higher education and senior citizens." Pataki's $110.7 billion funding plan would increase K-12 education aid by $634 million or 3.9 percent — half of what the state Board of Regents called for in October and nowhere near the $2.15 billion the Educational Conference Board says is needed just to maintain current programs and services. Hospitals, nursing homes and visiting nurses could lose nearly $3 billion in state and federal Medicaid funding. The governor this year proposed creating an anti-fraud unit to rein in costs of the program. The executive budget also features more than $3 billion in new tax cuts, including a $400 million backdoor voucher scheme presented as an education tax credit. (See related article) Bureaucracy-based aid At $375 million, sound basic education aid accounts for more than half of the increase in K-12 aid but fails to significantly address the court-ordered increase in the lawsuit brought by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. Even more troubling, said NYSUT Executive Vice Presdent Alan Lubin, the aid would be distributed by the Division of Budget, with no attempt to target those districts with the highest needs. "Last year, this type of funding was distributed on a needs-based formula. This year, instead of 'sound basic education aid,' the governor wants to create bureaucracy-based education aid," Lubin said. Teacher centers Teacher centers and the Teacher-Mentor Intern Program each are set to lose two-thirds of their funding, or $24 million. "Teacher centers offer valuable resources needed to achieve No Child Left Behind requirements," Lubin said. "We'll fight for that." Pataki did set aside more than $15 million in support for math and science initiatives, including summer institutes for middle-level students at the state's community colleges and $5 million to the Teachers of Tomorrow to attract math and science teachers to the profession. He is also proposing a new annual award for students who commit to teaching math or science in New York 's public schools for five years. It would provide up to $4,350 per year. The Big Five school districts, which are not subject to May school budget votes, are slated for minimal increases. The governor this year included $1.39 million for Rochester school nurses. Monroe County stopped picking up the tab two years ago, threatening a loss of health care services in the schools. Yonkers would receive up to $20 million in additional funding from a video lottery gaming facility, but that's nowhere near enough to close a budget deficit. In what has become an annual assault on the state's 37 Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, Pataki once again cut BOCES funding, this year by more than $10 million. Special education funding would also be hit hard. In a "reform" package similar to last year, the governor proposed limiting school budget votes to a one-vote, one-day model and requiring all votes on bond acts be held on the single statewide voting day. "It makes school district budget votes a 'take-it-or-leave-it' proposition," Lubin said. "That's purely unacceptable." Shell game While the governor proposed an increased exemption to the STAR property tax relief program for seniors, a proposal to give property taxpayers a $400 tax rebate check worries union leaders. The governor's program would only make the checks available to taxpayers if their school district caps spending at contingency levels, a move that would force many districts to slash programs and services for students, and lay off teachers and other staff. NYSUT projections show a typical district would have to raise property taxes by 6.6 percent to maintain programs and services. "Without a significant boost in state aid, school budget votes in May will be a disaster," Lubin predicted. "The governor's so-called property tax relief is a shell game that snatches money from one pocket and puts it in the other." Lubin said NYSUT will look to the Legislature for relief. "Fortunately, legislators from both parties have shown they understand the importance of properly funding public education," he said. Higher ed hurt The budget fails to provide sufficient aid for the State and City Univ-ersity systems to move forward, Iannuzzi said. "In fact, it relies on tuition increases and other revenues to fund academic programs and services." SUNY and CUNY would have to impose tuition hikes of up to $500 to generate needed operating aid. The budget also would open the door for trustees to propose annual tuition hikes tied to inflation. The governor again proposed privatizing SUNY hospitals and offering an incentive to colleges whose students finish on time, but failed to add aid for more faculty lines. Community colleges started out on higher ground this year with the governor increasing aid by $100 for a total of $2,450 per full-time equivalent student, but more is needed, Lubin said. "This budget sends a message louder than words: The governor doesn't think public education — K-12 or higher ed — is worth the investment." Union leaders will be testifying about the spending plan at upcoming legislative hearings. NYSUT lobby days are scheduled Feb. 27-28 for higher ed and March 20-21 for the first Committee of 100. "To millions of New York 's public school children and elderly New Yorkers, this budget is a very sad symphony," Iannuzzi said. "It will sound even more off-key to New York 's middle-class taxpayers, who will be stuck paying the bill in the future." — Clarisse Butler Banks |
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