While union leaders continue to lobby for the state to keep its promise to schools, they are also fighting against a troubling proposal in the governor's executive budget that would shift millions in costs onto school districts.

Spitzer is seeking to have school districts pick up the portion once covered by the state for preschool special ed evaluation and administration costs.

"The proposal to shift $46 million in costs from a broader and more equitable revenue base flies in the face of reducing the pressure on school property taxes," said NYSUT Executive Vice President Alan Lubin in testimony to the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committees. "If the state wishes to provide additional help to counties, then the state should provide greater assistance — not merely shift it to school property taxes."

Under current law, the state reimburses counties for 59.5 percent of approved costs for preschool special education administration costs. The governor's proposal would require districts where each special ed child resides to reimburse the child's resident county — adding a $46 million cost burden onto districts already set to receive less state aid than promised last year.

Phil Cleary, a pre-K special ed teacher and member of the North Syracuse Education Association, said the governor's commitment to education funding should include preschool special education as well.

"We appreciate the governor's ongoing commitment to improving preschool, but the proof will be in his ability to fund it fully so every kid who needs special education service from a public provider, including BOCES, will receive it," Cleary said. "Transferring costs to local school districts is not the answer. The program needs the same consistent funding that the governor has shown for K-12 education."

Union leaders also worry the proposal could lead to schools being forced to cut programs or services to save money. Several districts offer special ed programs for the under-four set; for many, that means contracting through BOCES.

If costs shift totally to districts with no additional support from the state, union leaders say, students could suffer as schools may be forced to contract out for services with providers that may not have all of the resources to appropriately serve students with special needs.

"Some of the most vulnerable kids may be shortchanged on services if schools have to absorb yet another unfunded mandate," Lubin said, adding that the proposal is at odds with the governor's plans to cap school property taxes.

"It is contradictory to advocate on the one hand capping property taxes and on the other hand passing on extra costs to school districts," Lubin said.

— Clarisse Butler Banks