ALBANY, N.Y. November 20, 2006 - New York State United Teachers President Richard C. Iannuzzi today called today's State Court of Appeals decision in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case a "woefully insufficient response to years of chronic under-funding of public education.
"The $1.93 billion the court has ordered is less than half of what Governor Pataki proposed, and far less than what Governor-elect Spitzer has promised," Iannuzzi said. "We are confident that Eliot Spitzer will live up to his promise of a statewide $8.5 billion solution because, as he said, it's the right thing to do.
"For more than a decade, the court has repeatedly supported the premise of the CFE case: Every child must receive a sound basic education," Iannuzzi said. "Now, in addition to stripping away accountability measures, the court has basically said to every student in New York, 'Let them eat cake.'"
Iannuzzi noted that Spitzer has promised that on day one, everything changes. He also noted that Spitzer had promised to provide $8.5 billion a year in additional education aid for New York City and other needy school districts statewide.
"There are 42 days left to the day when the governor-elect can begin the work of ensuring that every child in New York receives the sound basic education our constitution demands and every child deserves," Iannuzzi said. "We look forward to working with Governor-elect Spitzer on ending the 13-year wait for adequate funding and in ensuring accountability for how the money is spent."
NYSUT represents 575,000 teachers, school-related professionals, academic and professional faculty in higher education, professionals in education and health care and retirees. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and the AFL-CIO.