Mayor de Blasio’s tax-the-rich plan to finance pre-kindergarten classes will be rejected in Albany because it’s unnecessary and would actually increase education inequality in the state, Gov. Cuomo declared Wednesday.
“I do not think it goes anywhere. I don’t think there is a rationale for it,” Cuomo told The Post editorial board.
In his sharpest counterattack against the mayor’s proposal, the governor said it wouldn’t be fair to other cities in the state to allow de Blasio to tax the rich so only his own constituents benefit.
“What about everyone outside the city? How do they do it? . . . They don’t have the millionaires,” Cuomo said.
“This actually would be inequitable statewide. What do you say to the mayor of Buffalo? What do you say to the 4-year-old in Buffalo? You should have been lucky to grow up in New York City?”
He charged that de Blasio’s proposal is more regressive than the property-tax system that steers more funding to schools in wealthy suburbs than to poorer parts of the state.
“If you haven’t come up with a system that is less equitable, this would be it. A surcharge on millionaires,” Cuomo said.
At an earlier press conference, the governor, was even more blunt: “Do I believe the wealth in New York City should be used just for New York City? No.”
During the meeting with Post editors, he expanded on his position.
“Let a city with a lot of millionaires fund their own pre-K program? So the rich city would have the best pre-K program . . . Millionaires fund New York City. Everyone else you’re on your own? Come on.”
Turning on its head de Blasio’s argument that he’s fighting inequality, the governor portrayed himself as the defender of the state’s needier cities.
“I represent the children of New York City. I also represent the children of Buffalo and Rochester and Syracuse . . . We do it statewide. Period. End of discussion,” Cuomo said.
He also clashed with the mayor on charter schools, which de Blasio is seeking to rein in.
“Charter schools provide innovation, experimentation, creativity. They’re not always a success. But there have been dramatic successes. And I think they’re healthy for the city,” Cuomo said.
De Blasio continued to vigorously defend his pre-K plan. He insisted he cares “deeply for our fellow citizens all over the state,” but noted that “the children we will reach are among the poorest in the United States, let’s be clear.”