How Disastrous is the NYS Budget? Why Can’t the Governor/Legislature Follow the Federal Model?
If this was a normal year the education community would be focused on the race to the April 1 budget deadline. For months advocates and legislators have been dueling with the governor: Will the Foundation Aid formula be adjusted to benefit the lowest wealth aka, the poorest districts? Will the governor acknowledge the $3 billion plus dollars owed to school districts as a result of the CFE lawsuit decision? How will the differences in proposed school aid (governor: 800M, the Board of Regents 2B) be resolved?
Additionally, non-budgetary items may or may not have been added to the budget by the governor: possibly legalization of marijuana, rolling back bail reforms, easing the voting restrictions, etc.
We’re in a new world.
This year’s budget is unique: the governor will have almost total authority to allocate the budget dollars in slices, “tranches,” monthly or perhaps quarterly; as the year progresses slices of budget dollars may increase or decrease.
As I write, midday on April 1 the governor and the legislative leaders are still entangled in creating a budget.
The impact could be drastic cuts in school funding, perhaps layoffs.
Why can’t the state allocate endless dollars to avert economic calamities as the federal government has done?
Washington can issue as many dollars as they please, through the Federal CONTINUE READING: How Disastrous is the NYS Budget? Why Can’t the Governor/Legislature Follow the Federal Model? | Ed In The Apple