ALLIANCE FOR QUALITY EDUCATION & THE CAMPAIGN FOR FISCAL EQUITY VISIT 14 SCHOOL DISTRICTS
Find Evidence of Constitutional Violations by New York State
(ALBANY, NY) During the week of February 24-28th, the Alliance for Quality Education and the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, a project of the Education Law Center, visited 14 school districts across the state to begin documenting educational resource deficiencies resulting from the state’s failure to meet its obligations under the New York State Constitution. AQE and CFEreleased a report on the findings at a briefing today for the Assembly Education Committee.
The Key Finding: “We found substantial and compelling evidence of a failure by the Governor and Legislature to provide the resources necessary for all students to receive a “sound, basic education,” as guaranteed by the New York constitution.” Despite often extraordinary efforts by local school leaders and educators the State’s failure to provide adequate educational resources has impeded districts’ ability to provide all students a “sound, basic education.”
Report Highlights Include: Class sizes have risen to over 25 and in some cases over 30. All of the school districts have cut staff in some cases as much as 20% — despite the fact that in many districts student enrollment has actually grown. Some of the most dramatic cuts have been to academic interventions for students not performing at grade level including severe cuts to summer school and to state mandated tutoring. School libraries have been closed, cut hours or have no librarians. Guidance counselors are substantially overloaded and there is a shortage of social workers and school psychologists. Some elementary schools offer no art or no music, foreign languages and elective courses have all been cut—with some districts replacing academic courses with study halls. The full report is available at:http://www.aqeny.org/wp-
With the two houses of the state legislature preparing their education budgets – to be voted on March 12 – AQE and CFE are preparing for a potential school funding lawsuit if the state does not live up to its constitutional obligation this year.
From western New York to Long Island, AQE and CFE met with superintendents, principals, teachers, and parents who shared evidence regarding the educational impacts of the state’s underfunding of their schools.
“The educational resource deficiencies uncovered are extremely distressing. The evidence is crystal clear