NYSUT leaders called the final state budget a historic commitment to education from pre-K through higher education. The result of compromise between lawmakers and Gov. Spitzer, it includes a new foundation formula that directs significant resources to the neediest schools. The budget boosts funding for all districts, increases funding for higher ed, and contains restorations in health care that are good news for many members.

NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi said the budget reflected both an unprecedented commitment to education and a spirit of compromise that brought the spending plan in within hours of the April 1 deadline.

"Clearly it is in the best interests of the children of New York for Gov. Spitzer and legislative leaders - who are all passionate supporters of education - to move forward with this strong commitment to education," he said. (Pictured: In the file photo above, NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi congratulates Eliot Spitzer on his election as governor.)

State leaders worked round the clock to deliver an on-time budget for the 2007-08 fiscal year, beginning April 1.

The Legislature added nearly $400 million to Gov. Spitzer's $1.4 billion education aid increase.

The new Foundation Aid formula, which replaces dozens of aid formulas, targets significant new funding to needy districts, while providing an increase of at least 3 percent for all districts. The Legislature added funds beyond the 3 percent to mitigate the impact of taxes in some districts.

The agreement would bring total state funding on public education to just under $20 billion, an increase of 10.6 percent over what's being spent this year. It included gains for higher education campuses statewide.

Crunching numbers

The budget package was approved in plenty of time for districts to revise their local budget numbers, which are due to the State Education Department by April 20 and to be submitted to voters May 15.

What's not in the budget is almost as important as what's in, NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin noted.

The governor's proposed $1,000 tax deduction for parents who send their children to private and parochial schools appeared to be derailed, for now.

Lubin praised the Assembly for standing firm on this issue and said he expects this fight to continue.

An Associated Press report noted that NYSUT's strong opposition to the plan was the centerpiece of the union's "It's a matter of principle" advertisements, explaining public money shouldn't be diverted to private interests or schools that don't serve all children.

Web link

NYSUT posted a link to the school aid estimates and a budget summary as soon as they became available.

Other highlights in the budget agreement:

• Rochester, Buffalo, Yonkers and Syracuse city districts will join New York City in having a maintenance-of-effort requirement that mandates them to contribute at least as much local aid as the year before.
• The Legislature added funding to Gov. Spitzer's $99 million increase for universal pre-K, a total statewide increase of $146 million.
• Teacher center funding was increased $3 million, to a statewide total of $40 million.
• The Mentor-Teacher program was boosted from $4 million to a statewide total of $10 million.
• The governor had proposed using student test data as one measure of teacher performance in tenure decisions. The language was changed to say that a teacher's use of student test data - for example, to inform teaching strategies - is one factor that could be part of a tenure review.
• The Legislature rejected the governor's proposal to remove superintendents and school board members if districts fail to make Adequate Yearly Progress, as measured by the U.S. Department of Education under the No Child Left Behind Act.
• The governor and the Legislature agreed to language that will require New York City to complete a five-year plan to reduce class sizes.

- Sylvia Saunders