A new report shows that funding inequities between poor and rich school districts across the state has reached record levels, an increase of 43 percent in New York City, reported the Daily News.
While the 100 wealthiest districts spent on average more than $28,000 in state and local funding per kid in 2012, the 100 poorest districts in the state spent closer to $20,000 per student, the report found. The disparity grew by 9 percent in just one year from 2011 to 2012.
The inequality has made it harder to attack poor education results in high-need districts, where graduation rates dramatically lag behind those in richer districts. The authors of the report suggest solutions such as more money for things like pre-kindergarten, smaller classrooms, art programs and extra help for English language learners. The data in the report was compiled before New York City enacted universal pre-K.
The report's release, nine days before Cuomo is set to deliver his State of the State address, is designed to launch a huge lobbying effort against many of the changes Cuomo is seeking.
Cuomo has vowed to break what he called the public school "monopoly" with a series of reforms that include more charter schools, tougher teacher evaluation standards, and a continuation of his cap on property tax increases.
