Is Gov. Paterson out to destroy public education in New York? You might think so from “the sky is falling” reaction to his proposed 2010-11 budget, which would cut state aid to public schools by 4.9 percent, or a little over $1 billion.
In reality, New York’s schools are bloated, particularly with big fat salaries and benefits. We spend more than any other state per pupil — far more than most — without getting better results.
The public-education lobby naturally is apoplectic over Paterson’s proposal. Talk of program cuts and even school closings abound. But the real threat is that, rather than finding the savings, localities will hike already astronomical property taxes to make up for Paterson’s trims.
Richard C. Iannuzzi, president of the New York State United Teachers, played the business and economy card: “Promising a knowledge economy without an investment in knowledge is a hollow promise.”
Similarly, Gail Gadsden, a “parent leader” for the school-spending lobbying group Alliance for Quality Education, declared: “With the governor proposing the biggest cut in our state’s history, we would be taking a huge step backward, that will not only be more expensive later down the road but would instantly hurt our children across the state.”
Doomsday? Hardly. Let’s get some perspective on New York school spending.
According to the Census, New York’s per-pupil public-school spending in 2006-07 ranked highest in the nation, exceeding the US average by 65 percent. The state Education Department puts spending at $18,365 per pupil for 2007-08.
Over the decade through 2008-09, statewide per-pupil spending in the state skyrocketed at an average of 6.5 percent per year — better than 2½ times the inflation rate. And per-pupil state public-school aid has grown even faster — an average of 7.7 percent a year.
When the bottom falls out of your budget, as it has for New York, it only makes sense to cut in the areas where you’ve most recently added spending.
Now look at a region that Paterson targeted for a larger share of his reductions in state aid — $148.8 million from the Long Island counties of Nassau (in for a 6.2 percent decline) and Suffolk (5.4 percent).
In 2007-08, per-pupil spending averaged $21,795 in Nassau and $19,550 in Suffolk.
And spending in some districts boggles the mind. Two Nassau districts spent more than $30,000 per pupil — $30,769 in Mineola and $35,460 in Lawrence. Suffolk had eight districts breaking this fantastic level — $30,678 in Montauk, $31,306 in Shelter Island, $32,151 in Southampton, $33,940 in Sag Harbor, $35,394 in Quogue, $42,128 in Amagansett, and (get ready) $65,330 in Fire Island and $73,571 in Bridgehampton.
And Long Island has not a single district you can call “poor”: The lowest per-pupil spending level in Suffolk was $16,387 in Middle Country, while Nassau’s Franklin Square came in at $15,399.
Given these spending realities, Paterson’s cuts suddenly don’t seem so daunting.
Where is all this money going? For starters, New York tops the nation in per-pupil spending on teacher pay, exceeding the US average by 81 percent. Even more outrageous are our outlays for teacher benefits, where we beat the US average by 126 percent.
The various factions within the New York public-school establishment — especially on Long Island — have been living large for a very long time. And they’re not about to let a brutal economy stand in the way of protecting their very expensive goodies.
As always, they (and their pawns in the Legislature) will hide behind the children — claiming that cutting spending would threaten education.
But the link between ever-increasing spending on public schools and higher quality education simply doesn’t exist. For example, on the American Legislative Exchange Council’s latest “Report Card on American Education” (one of the best overall measures of school support and results), New York ranked a poor 34th in the nation.
New York’s big spending on public schools is not about the children. It also is not about a well-educated workforce for the state’s businesses and economy. (Indeed, the heavy tax burden that goes to support these schools means that many people and businesses can’t afford to stay in New York.)
No, this is all about lavish compensation for public-school employees.
Gov. Paterson’s proposed tiny, one-year state-aid cut is nothing but a blip. This year, school-board members can’t merely complain about Albany — or demand property-tax hikes to make up for the trims. They need to get serious making spending cuts, and getting tough with the unions. Over the longer haul, New York needs significant changes on the education front: Start basing teacher compensation on individual performance rather than seniority; cap school property taxes; institute vouchers or tax credits so parents can afford a choice beyond the local public school. That’s a true pro-child, pro-taxpayer education agenda.
Long Island-based economist and writer Raymond J. Keating is a columnist with Long Island Business News.