Billion Dollar NYC Public School Funding Lawsuit to Be Heard Today

Today, the Campaign for Fiscal Equity will be making its argument in front of the State Court of Appeals on why NY State needs to fork over billions to the NYC public school system that lower courts said the state owes the city. Back in 2004, the NYC public schools were awarded $5.6 billion, though last year, the figure has been changed to almost $5 billion over four years for operating costs - plus a further $11.2 billion for construction. Since the state only put the construction costs in its budget for this year, the CFE filed its lawsuit (the CFE has been working towards getting NYC public schools money for 13 years). And the Court of Appeals will broadcast the oral arguments online at 2PM.

The NY Times focuses on the travails of a Bronx teen to get his diploma to illustrate problems in the city's public school system these past 13 years. And the new candidates for governor have education platforms that don't really say much about the CFE lawsuit. Republican John Faso doesn't even mention it on his website, while Democrat Eliot Spitzer says the lawsuit should be resolved and leaves it at that. Gothamist understands that a deal can't bankrupt the state and no one wants tax hikes, but we'll just point out that NYC does contribute $11 billion more in NY State taxes than it gets back from the state in funding.

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By Jen Chung in News on October 10, 2006 11:46 AM

Comments [rss]

Chris

From the NY Times:

"Jeremy has managed to hold on, through mediocre elementary schools and an intermediate school where only 6.9 percent of its current students read at grade level..."

Instead of blaming the school, the city or the state...why aren't we blaming the kids? After all they're the ones that can't read! Apparently at Jeremy's intermediate school, 93.1% of kids are just stupid.

Jen

I hear you. But if you think about the people who don't get tax breaks and who do pay taxes to support their kids' public school education, I think the argument is compelling that the state should pay up.

Tom

The whole "the city pays more in taxes than it gets back" thing is asinine. Realize, for a moment, how many more millionaires and billion-dollar businesses are in the city as opposed to upstate. It's not like there are a huge population of billionaires up there giggling at all the tax breaks they're getting. The only advantage they have over us is they realize how insane we are at paying $200/sqft for living space.

Upstate is dying because no politicians in the state care about it. The Capital Region, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse are all poorly run, dying cities. If any important people cared about fixing things up there, there would be a better balance.