Union leaders hailed Gov. Spitzer's second State of the State speech as a welcome confirmation of his commitment to investing in public education — pre-K through post-graduate.

"The governor reaffirmed that public education is and will continue to be his cornerstone for revitalizing New York state," NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi said. "Children are already benefiting from the historic investment in public schools made last year by the governor and the Legislature."

In a speech punctuated by ovations, Spitzer outlined his plans to make New York "the best place in the world to live, work and raise a family," and that includes a world class education system.

"Look at the strides we have already made. 'CFE' used to stand for an endless lawsuit. Today, it stands for Contracts for Excellence," Spitzer said, noting that districts across the state have used contract funds to implement proven reforms, including smaller classes and more class time. "We made the single-largest education investment in New York's history."

Now, the governor has vowed to continue that progress with a focus on higher education, including initiatives to make a college education more affordable and to create an Innovation Fund for cutting-edge research.

"If you want to participate in the innovation economy, a high school diploma is not always enough — you're going to need a college diploma," Spitzer said. "We can't strengthen our economy without the best colleges producing the best-prepared graduates. That's why our goal must be to make an outstanding higher education affordable for every New Yorker."

Following recommendations of the Commission on Higher Education, Spitzer advocated committing — over five years — to hiring 2,000 new full-time faculty members at the State and City University systems. (See related article.)

"NYSUT applauds the proposal to expand full-time faculty at SUNY and CUNY as continued recognition that public education is a high priority for this governor," Iannuzzi said. "This is a smart investment that will pay dividends in New York's economic growth."

To smooth the transition for students from the state's community colleges to four-year colleges and universities, Spitzer called for making the credit transfer process "simple and seamless."

While Spitzer gave few dollar amounts or specifics, he proposed funding these initiatives through the creation of a public higher ed endowment. "Higher education funding should no longer be a budgetary pawn or a yearly battle," Spitzer said. "It must be a permanent priority."

In tandem with efforts to ensure every New Yorker has access to affordable, quality health insurance, the governor urged legislators to pass the Healthy Schools Act, which targets junk food in schools as one way to reduce the rates of childhood obesity.

The governor also called for enforcing the state's strongly written but often ignored physical education requirements.

"Physical education promotes academic achievement and is central in the fight against obesity," Iannuzzi said noting such efforts "would be welcomed — not only by parents — but also by educators, health care professionals and our cafeteria staff who are committed to students' health."

Hard choices

While his message was mostly positive and aimed at moving the state forward, Spitzer also warned New Yorkers about impending fiscal challenges. The governor called for a bipartisan commission charged with recommending, among other things, a cap on property taxes.

"A tax cap is a blunt instrument, but it forces hard choices and discipline when nothing else works," Spitzer said.

Iannuzzi said such a commission would appear to address concerns shared by educators about unfunded mandates and the impact on taxpayers, "although tax cap proposals, while they may be well-intentioned, have proven over and over again to be problematic in concept and disastrous in practice ... It will be important to ensure that any tax relief proposals fairly reflect the state's commitment to ensuring all children — those who live in poverty as well as those who are advantaged — receive the quality public education they deserve."

NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin said the statewide union "looks forward to working with Gov. Spitzer and the Legislature on the specifics of a budget that will give concrete form to the governor's pro-education philosophy."

Spitzer is scheduled to release his Executive Budget on Jan. 22.

— Clarisse Butler Banks