Teachers' union: Tax cap widens spending inequity
Teachers Union president Richard Iannuzzi. AP Photo/Mike Groll
10:40 am Dec. 2, 2013
ALBANY—New York's largest teachers' union is connecting the statewide property-tax cap passed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to funding inequity among poor and affluent school districts, according to an analysis released Monday.
The wealthiest 10 percent of school districts spent 80 percent more per student than the poorest 10 percent last school year, New York State United Teachers found. The union argued that the gap is “aggravated” by the tax cap, which limits growth in property taxes by 2 percent, with some exceptions.
The richest districts spent an average of $35,690 per students in 2012-13, according to the union's study. Meanwhile, the poorest districts spend $19,823 per student.
While operating under the cap, the wealthiest schools raised an average of $704 per student by increasing property taxes, while poor schools raised an average of $114 per student through property-tax revenue.
Property taxes tend to be higher in high-wealth areas; Westchester County, for example, has some of the highest property taxes in the country. In some poor areas, such as Otsego County in the state's