ALBANY – Gov. Paterson slammed his fellow Democratic lawmakers this morning for caving to union pressure on charter schools and warned that New York State risked a “Greece”-like financial calamity.
The executive said fear of backlash from the teachers unions was “probably” behind the legislature’s failure to reach agreement on a charter expansion needed to increase the state’s chances for a huge pot of federal education aid called “Race to the Top.”
“Now here is $300 to $500 million that would take a big chunk out of this deficit coming from the federal government,” Paterson said during his weekly appearance on WOR 710AM. “We didn’t do it. What the legislators have to understand is that the union is not going to balance your budget for you.”
Paterson, lawmakers and unions have been locked in a stalemate for weeks on a plan to close an estimated $9.2 billion budget deficit.
Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson of Brooklyn, who in January backed a charter expansion plan laden with poison pills, surprised charter school friends and foes alike this week by passing a bill that would raise the cap on charter schools to 460 from the current 200.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) has reacted coolly to the proposal. The governor struggled to answer a loaded question from host John Gambling: “Why is Shelly Silver so against charter schools?”
“Uh… He… uh… I mean… he’s explained it,” Paterson stammered. “He feels that our overall charge in government involves the public schools.”
Paterson also criticized the unions that represent state workers for refusing to accept $250 million in contract concessions.
“Who is going to sacrifice to balance the budget?” Paterson said. “Or are we all going to point the finger at each other until the state becomes insolvent, has a severe downgrade in credit rating and New York starts to look like Greece.
“And they are storming the Capitol in Greece now,” he added.