A defiant Mayor de Blasio is vowing to go full speed ahead with plans to raise taxes on the city’s highest earners to pay for universal pre-K — even as Gov. Cuomo is offering to have the state foot the bill.
De Blasio not only insisted his five-year tax hike was the only way to ensure a reliable stream of funding, but said he felt obligated to enact the will of those who voted him into City Hall.
“I think of it in terms of following through on a commitment I made to the people of New York City, that they ratified with great energy and with a huge majority, that they want this to happen and believe this is the right way forward,” said the mayor.
Cuomo’s proposal calls for pre-K funding to grow over five years by a total of $1.5 billion across the state.
The proposal is likely to help Albany legislators make the case that approving a tax hike for the city isn’t necessary this year — when many of them, including Cuomo, are up for re-election.
The mayor’s unwillingness to bend on the tax hike sets the stage for a significant rift with Cuomo, for years a close ally.
“[It] shows there is a schism within the Democrat Party — not just the Republican Party — between the Democrat progressive left and the Democrat progressive right, de Blasio and Cuomo,” said State Senate co-leader Dean Skelos.
De Blasio’s plan envisions that the city alone spending at least $1.7 billion over five years — $200 million more than Cuomo’s plan would provide for the entire state.
While de Blasio described Cuomo’s proposal as “welcome” and “commendable,” he stood by the city’s figures and suggested that the state funds could be used for other educational needs.
He didn’t leave room for compromise. “What we need is a plan that locks in the resources for five years and is not contingent upon the vagaries of each year’s [state] budget process,” the mayor said.
The Citizens Budget Commission has estimated it would cost $1.4 billion to $2 billion a year to fund “quality” universal pre-K programs statewide, far more than Cuomo is proposing.
But Cuomo aides insisted there’s ample funding — emphasizing that it would take years for school districts to prepare for such a mammoth undertaking.
New York City has particular logistical challenges, such as identifying space for pre-K classes and finding enough qualified instructors licensed to teach 4-year-olds.
“The state will move as fast as the school districts can move,” Cuomo pledged.
His plan would also allocate funding to charter schools, which aren’t eligible to receive pre-K funding under current state law.
A number of education advocates said they supported the governor’s plan.
“We don’t think we need a tax increase anymore. At this point, it’s moot if there’s more funding for pre-K in the state budget,” said Mona Davids, head of the New York City Parents Union. “Children first, politics second.”
But others slammed Cuomo’s plan as woefully inadequate.
“It’s fuzzy math. After the all the hype from the governor, his pre-K plan is sorely disappointing,” said Billy Easton, head of the Alliance for Quality Education. “For New York City, it’s a far cry from what de Blasio is proposing.”