If you were listening closely at the start of this month, beneath the spin and chest beating, you could hear — ever so faintly — the sound of beginning steps toward addressing the achievement gap in New York state. The impetus for these steps was an agreement on a 2007-08 state budget that provides public schools with aid of historic proportions.

While NYSUT analysts were still reviewing the agreement as I sat down to write, it appears that public education is a big winner and will receive about $20 billion in the new fiscal year, up more than $1.7 billion.

Besides the substantial increase, the significance of this agreement is in establishing Gov. Spitzer's foundation framework with its focus on low-achieving districts.

At the same time, additions by the Legislature addressed many of the anomalies in the governor's proposed budget, which left too many districts with needs that were not taken into consideration. The result is that every district in the state will receive more funding this year, with many fewer receiving minimum increases.

Credit should go to Gov. Spitzer, Assembly Speaker Silver and Senate Majority Leader Bruno. They demonstrated that — despite some early disagreements — three people who are passionate about education can work things out, find common ground and do the right thing for the citizens — especially the children — of New York.

The agreement also demonstrates their understanding that, if we're going to seriously address the achievement gap, we're going to have to address the financial gap among school districts and communities.

This budget moves us in that direction. With the foundation basis firmly in place, a structure for continuing to move closer to real equity has become the underlying format for future budgets. This is something necessary and for which all should take pride.

Health care

Of course, putting money and other resources into education is only one way to effectively root out the causes for the achievement gap, a gap that leaves behind thousands of our urban and rural poor, often children of color. Research has shown that other societal issues adversely affect academic achievement — issues like poverty, inadequate housing and poor health care.

As our teachers, support personnel, school nurses and other health care professionals know, when students are ill or not getting proper medical treatment, they have a difficult time focusing on schoolwork and are often prone to long absences. Just two years ago, 415,000 New York children, nearly 9 percent of the children in our state, were without health insurance.

Also to their credit, Albany's top lawmakers restored $350 million in Medicaid and other health care cuts originally proposed when the budget process began early this year. These restorations, coupled with Gov. Spitzer's proposal to quadruple the maximum income for Child Health Plus eligibility, will go a long way toward ensuring that our poorest children receive quality health care.

The restorations also mean New York will be able to recruit, train and retain the health care professionals so sorely needed across the state.

NYSUT will continue to keep health care issues high on the list of union priorities. We are co-sponsoring a major Health Care Lobby Day with several other state unions May 22 at the Capitol. It's important that health care professionals stand up for their jobs and for the issues most important to them, such as mandatory overtime and safe staffing ratios. Watch for more information about this event in future issues of New York Teacher and on our Web site at www.nysut.org.

SUNY hospitals

New York's excellent hospitals that are part of the State University of New York system are a critical and valuable link between our state's health care and educational institutions. That's why keeping the SUNY teaching hospitals operational and within the SUNY system is part of NYSUT's overall commitment to quality and accessible health care. These hospitals provide valuable training for health care professionals as well as care and treatment to the indigent and rural poor, many of whom would go without any care or treatment if these public institutions were no longer available.

For these reasons, NYSUT is supporting our SUNY faculty affiliate, United University Professions, in its lawsuit to overturn recommendations of the Berger Commission, including one that would merge Upstate Medical University in Syracuse with a local private hospital and put it under the control of an entity other than SUNY.

Frankly, we believe the commission acted not only unconstitutionally, but illogically. Upstate Medical University has a solid record of being an efficient and effective health care institution, and the Berger Commission recommendation makes no sense from either an economic or medical point of view. All the SUNY hospitals — in Syracuse, Stony Brook and Brooklyn, as well as the Buffalo Health Sciences Center — offer vital medical care, engage in cutting-edge research and provide affordable training for doctors, nurses and other health care providers. They are also among the leading employers in their communities, providing a significant boost to the local economy.

While UUP and other affected unions have taken this battle to court, the preferred resolution remains a negotiated one, and we'll work with UUP President Bill Scheuerman to convince the administration that the SUNY hospitals are critical assets in the state's health care infrastructure.

Higher education

In fact, the same can be said of the entire SUNY system, as well as the City University of New York. They are among the state's greatest assets. In education, health care, research, workforce training and economic development, CUNY and SUNY are going to play a significant role in New York's revitalization. Along with these great universities, our community colleges and private colleges round out a higher education network that is central to New York's growth.

Although some areas of higher education funding still need attention, the new budget recognizes the importance of higher ed by adding more full-time faculty — which had been on the decline in recent years — increasing aid for private college students; supporting opportunity programs for economically disadvantaged students in public and private colleges; and addressing pressing campus capital needs that had been too-long neglected.

And, yes, higher education has a role to play in bridging the achievement gap. As we've said before, it's a multi-faceted problem that requires a multi-faceted, pre-K-through-post-grad solution; and it will need to be a solution that bridges multiple social institutions and arenas. As educators and health care professionals, we can make a difference by effectively lobbying for and using the resources provided in state and federal budgets. As an organization, we can — and will — champion reforms and actions that take a holistic approach to ensuring equal opportunities for all students.

After all, that's what unions do.