By Richard Moody, Legislative Gazette
Even though New York state has the highest per-pupil spending for education in the nation, its public education system is failing in four of seven categories tracked by the watchdog group Alliance for Quality Education.
During a press conference in Albany last week, parents, educators and lawmakers unveiled a report card showing what New York is doing right, and what it is doing wrong in terms of educating students and preparing them for college.
“It is the right time to evaluate whether the state is heading in the right direction or in the wrong direction,” said Billy Easton, executive director of AQE. “Some say we are being too generous. No one said we are being too harsh.”
The report card was divided into seven categories: providing quality Pre-K; creating community schools; providing quality teaching initiatives; expanding learning time; providing a challenging and engaging curriculum; creating a positive school climate and reducing suspensions; and investing in equity. According to AQE, New York failed to head in the right direction when it came to the extended learning time, its curriculums, school climates and funding equity.
Natasha Capers, a parent from Brooklyn and a member of the New York City Coalition for Educational Justice, said her boys are not allowed to bring bad report cards into her house. “If they had ever brought home a report card looking like this,” Capers said, referring to the AQE’s report card on public schools in New York, “I would have been beyond disappointed.”
According to the AQE report card, the new 2013-2014 budget provides $15 million to create community schools, which are schools that operate at different times from regular schools and not only provide education to students, but also health care, nutrition and other services as well.
However AQE says that few of the schools will receive funding because the grant is too small.
AQE also says the 2013-2014 Enacted Budget provides $20 million for a competitive grant for after school programs and other extended learning programs. However they say the grant will only affect about 13,000 students of the 2.7 million in New York; one half of one percent, which is compounded with the elimination of extended learning programs over the past few years, including 31 percent of schools cutting summer learning programs and 34 percent cutting extracurricular activities.
AQE says in their report card that New York, on average, has an $8,601 per pupil expenditure gap between wealthy and poor school districts.
Larry Spring, superintendent of Schenectady City School District, said his district is a prime example of these disparities in educational spending. Schenectady has the thirteenth highest concentration of childhood poverty in the nation. “Students come to school on a daily basis suffering from anxiety and depression, some to the degree that they are walking in the door with post traumatic stress disorder, as a result of the conditions they are living in,” said Spring.
“As a district we are receiving 54 percent of what is due to us by the foundation formula. We are being shorted $62 million annually by New York state,” Spring said. He continued to say that these shortages in funds have forced the district’s hand to close schools, to cut down on reading services and even cut down on mental health services.
He said his district is 1 of 55 districts in the state that is minority as a majority. And he said that 8 percent of districts are minority-majority and those districts are 30 percent of the districts receiving less than 60 percent of their funding.
AQE claims that there is a 29 percent graduation rate gap between high and low need school districts.
Larry Spring, superintendent of Schenectady City School District, said his district is a prime example of these disparities in educational spending. Schenectady has the thirteenth highest concentration of childhood poverty in the nation. “Students come to school on a daily basis suffering from anxiety and depression, some to the degree that they are walking in the door with post traumatic stress disorder, as a result of the conditions they are living in,” said Spring.
“As a district we are receiving 54 percent of what is due to us by the foundation formula. We are being shorted $62 million annually by New York state,” Spring said. He continued to say that these shortages in funds have forced the district’s hand to close schools, to cut down on reading services and even cut down on mental health services.
He said his district is 1 of 55 districts in the state that is minority as a majority. And he said that 8 percent of districts are minority-majority and those districts are 30 percent of the districts receiving less than 60 percent of their funding.
AQE claims that there is a 29 percent graduation rate gap between high and low need school districts.
“Let me be very direct. Money matters when it comes to education,” Easton said.
New York spends more money per pupil than any other state according to data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau. New York spent a total of $59.17 billion on education in 2011, which makes it the second highest spender in the nation after California. New York also spends the most on education per pupil — $19,076 total per pupil in 2011. The national total expenditure per pupil is $10,560.
The total amount of high school graduates in New York in 2012, according to the New York State Education Department, was 180,807 students, which is down from 182,504 students in 2011. The total graduation rate for the 2008-2011 cohort was 74 percent. These results even follow the implementation of the Common Core Standards in New York after they were adopted in 2011.
“There were no new curriculum investments to go along with these standards,” said Capers about the Common Core Standards in New York.
Several state legislators were present to see the release of the AQE report card including Sen. Kevin Parker, D-Brooklyn, Assemblyman John McDonald III, D-Cohoes, and Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany.
“In the state constitution we’re required to provide a sound, fairly balanced and equitable education to all students in New York state. I think we have failed in that responsibility,” said McDonald.
Fahy said, “We’re never going to change the income disparity in New York until we change the disparity in education funding.”
Willie White, founder of the community organizing group A Village which works to provide resources and events for children and families in the south end of Albany, said that he is dismayed by the failing grade New York received. “It is the truth. Our schools are not funded like affluent communities’ schools are funded.”
“We have to do more to bring this issue to the forefront,” said White. “And I want to personally say to the governor, ‘I blame you.'”
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