PRESS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	January 31, 2006

NEW YORK STATE'S WORST IN NATION STATUS FOR FUNDING THE EDUCATION OF POOR AND CHILDREN OF COLOR CALLED AN IMMORAL ASSAULT BY BTF

The most recent (Winter 2005) analysis of education funding of 50 states (DC was not included) by The Education Trust, headquartered in Washington DC, found:

• NYS ranks 50 of 50 states (the worst) in the education funding gap between what is spent on poor children's education and what is spent on affluent student's education.
• NYS ranks 48 of 50 states (3rd worst) in education revenue available to the highest minority school districts and the lowest minority school districts.
• NYS ranks 50 of 50 states (the worst) in the funding available to poor children and that available to affluent children when the nationally used poverty factor of 40% is factored into education funding.
• NYS ranks 49 of 50 states (2nd worst) in the funding disparity between the highest and lowest minority school districts when the nationally used poverty factor of 40% is factored into education funding.

"Much is said about how much NYS spends on education; however, the immoral little secret that is kept from view is that NYS is the worst state in the nation in the disparity between what is spent on the education of affluent children and what is spent on the education of poor and children of color.

This is nothing less than an immoral assault on poor and children of color. Millions of poor and children of color are the victims of an educational funding system that is not only the most discriminatory in the nation but is a vicious attack on their future.

Heaping immorality onto injury, the Governor of New York continues to fight a court order to remedy the disparity in the funding between poor children and the affluent - an action that can only be described as immoral and reprehensible," stated Phil Rumore, President of the 3400 member Buffalo Teachers Federation.

The complete analysis can be found on The Education Trust website, www2.edtrust.org.

"The BTF calls upon the State Legislature to end New York State's immoral and reprehensible attack on the education of our poor children and children of color by instituting the order of New York's highest court. If the State fails to act immediately, the BTF calls upon the court to institute penalties so severe that they will provide the funding required for our poor students," Rumore concluded.

The case referred to is the CFE case which found that New York State had violated its own constitution by not providing the children of New York City with a "sound basic education" as required by the New York State constitution.

Most have agreed that the remedy would apply not only to NYC but to all needy school districts in New York State.

Enclosures