NYS already has the highest education taxes in the nation, but that is not enough. Each year, the school districts submit new school budgets averaging 7% higher than the previous one, despite hefty funding from federal and state agencies. Like a black hole, NYS Education has a insatiable appetite for more money.
Speak of the House, Sheldon Silver, has been the loudest and staunchest advocate for pre-K funding. He will read this report and proclaim .... "We need more money to correct this disparity."
And yet, they whine about not having enough money, monies that barely trickle down to the kids. They politely evade the question when asked about drop out rates or failures to test well on supposed grade level work (yet many of those same kids are on the honor roll in the new 'everyone gets an A system'). PA has long followed NY into the abyss of public school initiatives that fail miserably and suck down huge amounts of tax dollars and we are implementing locally, against the wishes of parents and many educators!, a full day kindergarten and mandatory preschool for 3 & 4 yr olds, soon to be full day mandatory as well. Our governor is trying the same techniques, thanks to the teachers unions that elected him, to try and bankrupt the entire state, as bankrupting the Philly school systems wasn't enough. I'm sure when it fails, the response will be more tax increases for the children.
Dear fellow New Yorker - after I posted this, I left to go vote on our school budget. Can you guess how I voted? :)