I took my seat on the floor of the Assembly. The chamber was quieter than in the past, but still abuzz with conversations — just more hushed than last year or just a few short weeks ago. Back in January, the traditional State of the State had a familiar ring in a familiar place. This day, it was something different. Not a State of the State, but certainly a statement about where we are and where we're going.

The quiet soon turned into noisy expectation, then excitement, laughter and finally a roar of relief and approval. Gov. David Paterson made it very clear in his own unique way: He is the governor and the transition demonstrates that we are a nation of laws living in a well-functioning democracy.

Resilient democracy

Democracy, of course, can be messy and contentious; sometimes even chaotic. It can be frustrating and disorderly. But, perhaps most of all, it can be resilient.

Thankfully, resilient.

So in Albany, less than a week after the state Capitol had been turned on its head — less than a day after a new governor took New York's leadership reins — hundreds of NYSUT members were lobbying lawmakers on behalf of their union and their professions.

Keep the promise for public education. Restore BOCES funding. Eliminate the cuts to higher education and provide adequate resources. These were the messages that NYSUT's Committee of 100 brought to Albany.

These are difficult times at the Capitol, and to suggest that all is back to normal — however one defines "normal" in Albany — would be naive. There is a transfer of power occurring — a change at the top — and, by its very nature, change breathes uncertainty.

But rest assured, NYSUT's focus has not changed. As those Committee of 100 volunteers demonstrated, we remain certain about our message. Lawmakers — in the Senate and the Assembly, Republicans and Democrats — heard from our members that we expect them to build on what they began last year when they made a historic investment in public education and began to seriously address educational equity. There is no uncertainty about NYSUT's commitment to represent the very best interests of our members before the Legislature and the governor.

A new governor

Change can also mean opportunity. With the change in leadership, we have an opportunity to work with a friend of NYSUT. We've had a long and positive relationship with David Paterson during his two decades in the state Senate and, more recently, as lieutenant governor. He has the experience, credentials and leadership to excel in his new role and to help move New York forward.

There's a sense that he is the right person at the right time, and someone who can pull together the bickering factions of state government and forge a consensus that best serves the citizens of New York.

Gov. Paterson also has a strong record in support of issues important to NYSUT. As a member of the state Senate since 1984, he has voted with us the overwhelming majority of the time and, at our 2006 Representative Assembly, then-Senate Minority Leader Paterson engaged delegates with stories of his own school experience, while impressing us with his grasp of educational issues.

"The gap in education between those who learn and those who fall behind starts at age three," he said, while addressing the RA delegates. He called for universal pre-K and more resources for education. In the same speech, he also decried the lack of funding to the state's colleges and universities.

We are confident that Gov. Paterson possesses the skills, experience and expertise to move progressive issues forward for labor, education and health care.

Tale of two budgets

As of this writing, the constitutional deadline for adoption of the 2008-09 state budget is just days away — April 1 — and the Senate and Assembly are far apart on an agreement.

While NYSUT continues to hold the position that it's better to have a good budget than an on-time budget, the political realities of this year lead many to think that legislative leaders won't let the budget process drag on too long.

The Assembly and Senate each has passed its own version of a budget and, while they both increase spending for education over what the prior governor's executive proposal offered, there are significant differences. The Assembly bill includes an important revenue source, the so-called "millionaires tax," a temporary income tax surcharge on those who earn more than $1 million a year. The Assembly estimates such a tax would raise $1.5 billion.

NYSUT supports this surcharge as a vehicle to provide recurring revenue for education and one that moves us a step closer to a more progressive income tax. Our analysis shows the tax change would likely impact fewer than 75,000 New York taxpayers — that's less than 1 percent of all state taxpayers, and of those, 46 percent are not New York state residents.

Fiscal experts have repeatedly concluded that a temporary increase in the tax on high-income earners is the least damaging method for balancing state budgets and providing necessary services during weak economic times.

In fact, the Legislature enacted a similar temporary surcharge in 2003 that provided an infusion of revenue that successfully helped the state survive the economic slowdown experienced in the early part of this decade.

Unfortunately, the Senate's budget proposal, while increasing education aid, does not include this or any other new form of sustainable revenue that will be critical to maintaining the necessary support required to continue to succeed pre-K through post-graduate.

And it is important to emphasize that the higher education commitment is as critical to the growth of New York's economy as is the pre-K- through-high-school commitment. While we have great confidence in our friends in the state Senate and we understand that its bill is only a proposal, this aspect, needless to say, raises serious concerns.

Of course, these are both one-house bills, and it takes two houses to pass a budget. That's where our new governor will face his first real test — helping to negotiate a spending plan that continues the progress and keeps the promise.

Sitting in the Assembly chamber, I listened as Gov. Paterson defined himself as "inclusive." That is certainly a skill that he will need in order to carry the day for education and health care.