Cuomo Strikes a Different Tone on Education This Year

A year ago, education reform was a crucial part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget. He tied any increase in school aid to changes in the teacher evaluation system, because he said too many teachers were highly rated despite lackluster student performance.

But the Cuomo who presented his new budget on Wednesday sounded very different. He conceded a shift was necessary after roughly 20 percent of students opted out of the state math and reading tests in grades 3 through 8 this spring.

"Simply put, the education system fails without parental trust," he said. "Our goal was to restore that trust. And we said we would correct the state education department's Common Core curriculum implementation mistakes and testing regimen."

He pointed to actions approved by the Board of Regents late last year that he predicted would reduce testing and empower local districts. These included a moratorium on the use of test scores in teacher evaluations, and modifications to the Common Core learning standards.

Michael Mulgrew, president of the city's teachers union, said "we've obviously come a long way. He noted that the governor's speech had "none of the negativity that we've heard in the past years" towards teachers. 

Beyond the change in rhetoric, Cuomo's proposed budget included several education proposals.

Funding for Districts: The governor pledged an additional $2.1 billion in education aid over the next two years. About a quarter of the money would go to reimbursing districts for their expenses. But the budget set aside an additional $266 million in foundation aid, plus $189 million to restore cuts to districts that were made after the 2008 fiscal crisis (ending what's known as the gap elimination adjustment). 

The Board of Regents had wanted twice as much money. The Alliance for Quality Education (which receives money from the teachers union) also wanted much more.

"There is almost $9,000 per student spending gap between rich and poor schools but his budget only provides $266 million of the $4.4 billion in foundation aid that is due" as a result of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit over school aid, according to an Alliance statement.

Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch was more circumspect. "This is the beginning of the budget dance," she said.

Mayoral Control: Cuomo called for a three-year extension of the law granting mayoral control of the New York City public schools. Mayor Bill de Blasio was dealt a big blow last year when the legislature agreed to give him only a one-year extension. Scott Reif, a spokesman for Senate Leader John Flanagan, said Flanagan wanted more clarity about how the mayor intended to improve under-performing schools. A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Michael Whyland, said the speaker supported a seven-year extension.

Community Schools: Cuomo proposed $100 million to turn more failing schools into community schools, with extra services to benefit families and children. Of that money, $75 million would go towards 17 school districts across the state with failing or persistently failing schools. The remaining $25 million would be available to other high-needs school districts statewide that don't have a persistently failing school. 

Charter Schools: The governor proposed $27 million in the form of a one-shot per pupil boost for all charters. Unlike last year, he did not call for more charter schools. 

Education Tax Credits: Once again, the governor proposed $150 million in tax credits, a third of which benefit individuals who donate to charities that pay for private school tuition. Catholic and Jewish schools unsuccessfully lobbied heavily for the tax credits last year. The governor may be trying to sweeten the deal by including $20 million in credits for contributions to public education entities, and school improvement organizations. He also included a refundable tax credit worth $70 million against the personal income tax, for up to $500 in tuition costs per pupil for families who make less than $60,000 annually. And Cuomo inserted $10 million in tax credits for teachers who spend up to $200 on classroom supplies.

"They shouldn't have to bear the cost," said Cuomo, in what appeared to be an olive branch to the teachers after last year's withering feud. "They deserve our encouragement, our support, our gratitude."