Mike Groll/AP
New York state Education Commissioner John King Jr., shown, said Tuesday that statewide prekindergarten would cost far more than Gov. Cuomo allotted in his budget, but later said his own $ 1.6 billion estimate was for a fully implemented program that’s still years away.
ALBANY — New York state Education Commissioner John King stumbled into the prekindergarten debate Tuesday by suggesting the program would cost $ 1.6 billion to implement statewide — far more than Gov. Cuomo called for in his budget.
New York City Mayor de Blasio and backers of his tax-the-wealthy plan for pre-K quickly seized on King’s remarks, made during a legislative budget hearing.
RELATED: CUOMO WARY OF DE BLASIO’S NYC PRE-K, STILL VOWS SUPPORT
“The current proposal in the state budget falls dramatically short of what we need here in New York City, and underscores exactly why we need a dedicated, reliable source of revenue for these critical programs,” de Blasio said in a statement.
“If we are going to truly provide every eligible 4-year old in New York City with high-quality, full-day pre-kindergarten, then we must have the resources needed to actually fund these vital investments,” de Blasio added.
RELATED: DE BLASIO, CUOMO PLAY DOWN PRE-K DIVIDE, PLAY UP FRIENDSHIP
State education officials insisted King did not intend to suggest that Cuomo’s plan was inadequate and that his cost estimate was for a fully implemented program that’s years away.
“We share the governor’s goal of providing universal full-day pre-K statewide,” King said in a statement issued later in the day.
RELATED: DE BLASIO TO POLS: $ 2.5B IS FOR UNIONS, APPROVE PRE-K PLAN
“The governor has proposed a significant investment in order to make that goal a reality,” he continued. “Obviously, capacity needs to be built over time. It’s not possible to provide full-day pre-K for every student in September. We’ve got to create the classroom space, identify the teachers and ensure that programs are of the highest quality possible. “
De Blasio estimates his pre-K plan will cost $ 340 million annually over the next five years, for a total of $ 1.7 billion just for city students. He intends to pay for it with a tax increase on those earning $ 500,000 a year or more.
RELATED: IN $ 137B STATE BUDGET, CUOMO TRUMPS DE BLASIO
Cuomo’s budget proposal calls for spending $ 1.5 billion over five years, with about $ 500 million spent in the final year. However, Cuomo has also said he was willing to provide whatever school districts needed to get the program fully implemented.
“Everybody has numbers and that’s what the budget process is all about,” Cuomo said later on Tuesday. “When it comes to what will pre-K cost statewide these are all ‘guesstimates’ by everyone because no one really knows.”
King’s testimony came just before city Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina appeared before the Senate-Assembly hearing to continue the push for de Blasio’s plan.
“We need a dedicated, long-term funding stream to do so and our mayor’s plan to fund full-day universal pre-K and after-school programs by imposing a small tax on the city’s highest income earners is a strategy we can rely on,” Farina said in her testimony.
Yahoo Local News – New York Daily News
http://ift.tt/1goQuBr
via Great Local News: New York http://ift.tt/1iZiLP1
No comments:
Post a Comment