In Our Opinion From the Editor, Jamestown Post Journal
POSTED: April 5, 2010
New York’s Division of the Budget offers a by-the-numbers look at state funding of education that perhaps should put perspective on the unresolved questions about how much aid money the state should put in next year’s budget.
These figures should also be kept in mind as school districts contemplate the need to increase the amount of money collected locally from property owners to fund education.
Gov. David Paterson’s initial budget proposal recommends $20.5 billion for school aid, a $1.1 billion or 5 percent cut from this year. But of course the state Assembly appears to be walking away from even that modest amount.
Nevertheless, it’s worth remembering what the Division of the Budget says about the Paterson proposal.
”A look at this proposal, by the numbers, indicates that the vast majority of school districts should be able to manage these reductions without adversely impacting property taxpayers or educational quality,” the Division of the Budget notes.
Here’s the numbers:
Even with the cut, the governor’s proposal represents a 42 percent – $6.1 billion – increase in school aid since the 2003-04 state budget. That increase, says the Division of the Budget, is more than twice the rate of inflation during that period.
Looking back the 10 years before that, to 1991, the governor’s initial proposal represented a 141 percent or $12 billion increase which is, again, more than twice the rate of inflation during that period.
New York’s per pupil overall education spending is $15,536 – 61 percent above the national average.
New York per pupil spending on school district employee salaries is $7,328 – 71 percent above the national average.
New York per pupil spending on school district employee benefits is $2,901 – 109 percent above the national average.
The total amount of reported undesignated reserves held by school districts statewide, which the Division of the Budget points out could potentially be used to mitigate proposed state aid reductions, is $1.5 billion.
New York is going broke, school and other local taxes are breaking the backs of property owners, public employees are continuing to collect raises and enviable benefits year after year. And frankly, we do not see anything in Albany or locally to indicate in any way that the ballooning costs of government will be reined in.
At best we see most of our elected representatives trying to figure out which type of tax and fee increases will have the least impact on them personally come election time.
