Courts Rule in NYC Favor

Oh Governor Pataki, you can only screw New York City so much thanks to the State Appeals Court. As if his budget shortchanging the city wasn't bad enough, Pataki didn't comply with a previous court order to increase spending in city schools. Perhaps yesterday's decision by the Appellate Division will actually convince Pataki that it's time to pay up. It's the 2nd time that a court has said that New York State owes New York City at least $4.7 billion for its schools. The monies owed could be as high as $5.63 billion. But what's a few billion to Pataki. Maybe he can come and visit some schools and go over the math with the kids he's hosing.

The decision on the original lawsuit dates to 2003 when the Campaign for Fiscal Equity brought suit against the state, claiming that school funding levels violated the state's Constitution. Pataki made no indication as to whether he would appeal the latest court ruling.

City schools aren't the only winners in the court decision. The court also required additional spending of $9.17 billion on buildings and other facilities. The school funding and the additional spending must be completed "in the next few years." Of course, getting any changes into an already slow budget process will be very difficult. Especially since the deadline to pass the state's budget is April 1st.

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By tien mao in News on March 24, 2006 7:51 AM

Comments [rss]

rev pays

They teach Fox news buzzwords in the NYC public school system?

Stuy grad 1985. The 15th street campus.

School of hard knocks.

deng

Yes, I'm an immigrant and attended a lousy lef-wing public school. This is probably how you and your left-wingers want the things to be. I don't.

Laughing Way Too Hard

Deng, your writing definitely shows us how great your schooling was.

deng

Judges should not legislate from the bench. If you want the improve education, end teachers' union monopoly and let parents take their children out to good schools. Left-winger are still free to use failing monopoly schools and let the left-wing educrats to brainwash their own kids if they wish.

Tim N.

Fair points, but if the money's owed, the money's owed. A deadbeat's a deadbeat, and if the Gov owes my daughter money - my tax money - then I'm on his ass.

OK, bad metaphor.

Perry

Not to beat a tired drum, but NYC already spends north of $13,000 per student (according to the state DOE), which if not the highest, is one of the highest per student expenses in the country . For this, we get a graudation rate of somewhere between a half and 60%, well below national averages which are above 70%.

So yes, i'm sure that some additional money will help at the margin, but to REALLY fix the problem, we have to find what it is that the money goes into that doesn't deliver results, instead of just trying to throw even money at it and hope that it will fix itself..

nola

What a complete waste of money. You could spend $10 billion on our schools and they would stink. And judges have no business deciding on school budgets anyway. Anyone who thinks NYC schools don't have enough money should look at what they are spending/wasting already.