NY Educators Hear Paterson’s Recovery Plan and Ask: Where’s the Beef?

January 7, 2010

ALBANY, N.Y. - In his State of the State Message, Gov. Paterson said knowledge and technology will bring new jobs to New York and pull it out of the recession, but some are asking Paterson, "Where's the beef?"

Nikki Jones with the Alliance for Quality Education agrees that education and technology are the way forward for New York in 2010, but she says the governor's speech lacked details on the funding required to generate jobs through education.

"The governor talked about a knowledge-based economy. In order for that to happen, we have to continue to prioritize investing in our children's future, not cut it; instead, the governor has consistently proposed cut, after cut, after cut from our student's classrooms."

Paterson spent much of his address proposing an ethics reform package that would cap individual campaign donations at $1,000 instead of the current cap of nearly $60,000. New York is facing an $8 billion budget deficit.

At the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, executive director Geri Palast hopes Gov. Paterson remembers the state's legal obligations when he unveils his budget proposal in just two weeks.

"There is a court order that does say that every child should have qualified teachers and principals and school personnel, appropriate class sizes, up-to-date libraries and supplies - and we want to make sure that we do make progress in this regard."

Education advocates say Paterson would do well to listen to the Board of Regents, which recently proposed a $170 million increase in state education funding to pay for Pre-K and K-12 programs.

Mike Clifford, Public News Service - NY