New York State budget crisis will mean draconian cuts for public education

[Hannah Bell]

According to many estimates, New York State’s cumulative budget deficit is forecast to exceed $50 billion by as early as 2012, unless, according to Governor David Paterson, austere cuts are made to spending on health care, public education, salaries and benefits to public workers, and other programs that benefit working people.

Paterson, who only months ago praised the billions of dollars in bonuses paid to the same Wall Street bankers responsible for the economic debacle of 2008, and who more recently attempted to force tens of thousands of state workers to take unpaid furloughs, is now vetoing over a billion dollars in state aid to public schools...New York State School Boards Association Executive Director Timothy G. Kremer declared recently, “Governor David A. Paterson seems to be on a mission to destroy public education in New York State.” Kremer went on to add, “even after proposing a record $1.4 billion cut in state school aid followed by thousands of job losses in school districts, the governor wants to limit the ability of school districts to raise funds locally.”

By this, Kremer is referring to a property tax cap that would allow a minority of voters (as low as 10 percent) to defeat a school district budget, rendering “months-long budget development process —including obtaining public input—worthless.” Kremer concluded his criticism of the Governor by reiterating that “the last two years have been a litany of punitive proposals detrimental to public education: state budget cuts, mid-year payment delays, property tax caps, and mayoral control.”

With the recent defeat of a bill in Congress that would have provided Medicaid assistance to the states, New York will be forced to make further budget cuts to public programs, including education, to help cover these burgeoning costs. Paterson has positioned himself alongside other politicians in both major parties, arguing that the primary concern is to eliminate federal and state deficits through austerity measures that punish the working class. There is bipartisan agreement in both state and federal government in opposition to even the most modest reforms, such as increasing taxes on the wealthy and additional government spending to protect public sector jobs and extend unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless, even as the big business politicians approve massive spending for endless war in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jul2010/nysb-j20.shtml

[Catshrink]

1. Starving the beast

Grover Norquist's wet dream.

[Starry Messenger]

2. k & r

This is a disaster.