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Coalition gaining ground in voucher fight Other budget concerns remain on front burner
March 16, 2006 From left, state Sen. Caesar Trunzo, R-Suffolk, and NYSUT's Alan Lubin and Maria Neira. From western New York to Syracuse to Long Island and the state Capitol in Albany , union members are making sure elected officials know there's work to be done before a responsible state budget can be passed. Sinking costly voucher proposals is just the tip of the iceberg. Educator-lobbyists have been meeting with legislators at home offices across the state to discuss several troubling proposals in Gov. Pataki's $110.7 billion executive budget, including a one-day, one-vote plan for school budgets and a shell game STAR property tax rebate proposal that may encourage voters to reject local spending plans (see related article). On March 21, several hundred New York State United Teachers members will swarm the Capitol to lobby lawmakers at the union's Committee of 100 lobby day. Meanwhile, a coalition of parents, educators, unionists and taxpayers is gaining ground in efforts to defeat several proposals that would drain funds from public education to pay for private and religious schools. But there's still work to be done, leaders said. With legislators intent on meeting the March 31 deadline for an on-time state budget, unionists are quickly getting their messages out. "If you haven't been in a school in a long time you might not understand the new challenges public schools are facing," Laura Bellinger, a teacher from the Fonda-Fultonville district told Schenectady-area Republican lawmakers Hugh Farley, and Jim Tedisco in recent visits. Schools are serving more students with unique needs as well as dealing with unfunded mandates and struggling to meet financial obligations, all while funding is not keeping pace with need, Bellinger said. The governor's proposed budget would increase K-12 aid by $634 million or 3.9 percent — nowhere near the $2.15 billion the Educational Conference Board estimates is needed just to maintain current services. A proposal to raise the current cap on charter schools to 250 could drain even more funds from ailing public schools. Several districts, including Niagara Falls , Amsterdam and Mohonasen, are considering layoffs and school closings to make up for budget gaps. School officials in Berlin , Rensselaer County , are facing a 20 percent tax increase unless they close an elementary school, a move estimated to trim the increase to 15 percent. Voucher talk The fight against vouchers also continues. More than a dozen organizations have joined forces to fight a so-called "education tax credit" proposed in Gov. Pataki's executive budget. The proposal, a voucher scheme that would benefit families who already send their children to private or religious schools, would take hundreds of millions away from public education, coalition leaders said. Leaders are also concerned that the plans take much-needed funds away from high-need districts. The state is already under court order to provide more funds to students shortchanged by the state's funding formula. A lawsuit by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity led to a 2003 decision by the Court of Appeals that the state did not provide a "sound, basic education" for all students. Pataki's voucher proposal would provide a $500-per-child tax credit for families that live in a district with at least one school in need of improvement. Families with income up to $90,000 would be eligible. "This is not a tax cut," said NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi. "It's a gift to the parents of private and religious school students. Every dollar spent on vouchers is another dollar local property taxpayers have to pay." Sen. Marty Golden, R-Brooklyn, and Assemblyman Vito Lopez, D-Brooklyn, have proposed a more expensive plan that would provide a tax credit of up to $3,500 per child, with a price tag of at least $1.2 billion. As New York Teacher went to press, Assembly Democrats were reportedly crafting a tax credit plan to provide a $400-per-child tax credit to families with incomes up to $150,000. That plan would not be limited to parents who send their children to private schools. The pro-public-ed coalition has been boosted by several legislators who oppose the voucher plans, including Assemblyman Ron Canestrari, D-Cohoes. "In my opinion, we cannot divert additional public funds from education to support the voucher plan as discussed," Canestrari, who chairs the Assembly Higher Education Committee, told The Troy Record. "I wouldn't close the door on vouchers forever, but the timing now isn't right." Voucher proponents recently attempted to censure Assemblywoman Adele Cohen, D-Brooklyn, because she opposes vouchers. "Legislators like Adele Cohen, a former teacher in New York City public schools, have taken a principled stand against vouchers, much to the chagrin of proponents who have sought to cast her in very unflattering, uncaring light," said NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin. Cohen was the subject of a vicious article in a religious newspaper. Fred LeBrun, a columnist for the Albany Times Union, recently countered claims by voucher proponents that the funds would help kids in underperforming schools. "That's a smoke screen. It's about publicly financing private school alternatives. Let's not go there," he wrote. Those students already are guaranteed tutoring funds under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The message is spreading. NYSUT has purchased billboard space with anti-voucher messages on the major interstate leading to the Capitol and launched a TV advertising campaign in targeted markets. (See the TV ad at www.nysut.org). NYSUT has rolled out an online information clearinghouse where members can find charts that show how much their districts stand to lose if the funds are diverted to voucher plans instead of public schools (see map at www.nysut.org). Some other resources at www.nysut.org/ voucherthreat are:
— Clarisse Butler Banks |
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