As Gov. David Paterson was gearing up to release a budget proposal seeking deep across-the-board cuts this week, NYSUT vowed to continue fighting for students and educators, proudly claiming them as the union's "special interest."
The governor took a thinly veiled swipe at unions and other groups earlier this month in his second State of the State address.
"We have to accept that the old way of doing budgets is unsustainable," Paterson said. "And so do the special interests, who intimidate, who badger and who push when they don't get their way — even when they are aware that the cupboard is bare."
NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi made no excuses for fighting for education and health care.
"We have to do what's right for our members, students and educators across the state," Iannuzzi said.
While Paterson's 30-minute speech failed to mention education or any initiatives for schools, one day following his address to the state, the governor issued a program bill calling for the elimination of the cap on charter schools and giving broad powers to the state education commissioner to take over failing schools.
"It was troubling that education was barely mentioned in the governor's speech," Iannuzzi said, "especially considering we will need a skilled workforce prepared for the clean energy and high-tech growth jobs of the future."
Newly elected Executive Vice President Andy Pallotta looked forward "to working with the executive and the Legislature in securing the resources our children need to learn and educators need to teach to high standards," Pallotta said.
Much of the governor's address was focused on a comprehensive ethics reform and fiscal reform package and an aggressive jobs agenda. Paterson also called for a cap on state spending.
His ethics reform package — the Reform Albany Act — seeks an independent ethics commission. It would:
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impose term limits for lawmakers and other elected state officials;
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significantly decrease campaign contribution limits; and
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strip the pensions of public officials who commit felonies.
Several of the governor's reform ideas have been hashed around at the Capitol for years.
Tied in with his spending cap is a plan for "circuit-breaker" property tax reform.