Five years after the landmark Campaign for Fiscal Equity ruling in New York, the state has not only failed to fulfill its promise to invest $5.5 billion in classroom funding aid for high-needs schools and districts, but has in fact cut the badly-needed funding by $2.7 billion. 

A growing body of research shows that the typical six-hour school day just doesn’t cut it for many students. Too many schools lack the time and funds for arts, recess or inquiry-driven projects that inspire a life-long love of learning and provide skills needed to be competitive in the 21st century.

The challenges and needs are particularly dramatic in low-income communities where students are the most likely to be behind grade level and who stand to benefit most from additional learning time. 

Recent data continue to show that in New York City, the nation’s largest school district, a student’s opportunity to learn in a school “In Good Standing,” as measured by the state’s own tests, depends on the financial status of the student’s family.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo got the attention of public school advocates across the Empire State when he campaigned as “the Great Equalizer” for schools that would not be afraid to steer money from wealthy districts to poor under-resourced districts.

It seemed reasonable to believe that as a self-proclaimed progressive candidate he would continue to keep New York schools on the path to equity started in 2007 after the successful Campaign for Fiscal Equity school funding lawsuit.

It’s a sad state of affairs when only one in four students attending high school in New York City are ready for college four years later, and even sadder that only half of those even enroll. But that’s exactly the state of affairs, according to the A-through-F high school report cards recently released.

A recent New York Times article reported:

(Wicked Local)- Massachusetts has been a national leader in public education for nearly 200 years. We were the first state to provide access to free public school for all children, and, a few decades later, instituted the first special education program for students with additional needs. We have long understood that education is the key to a vibrant civil society and strong economy.

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Lost Opportunity 50 State Report

In the United States, every student should have the equal right to a high-quality education.  But as our most recent data demonstrates, for far too many students, quality and equity are aspirations, not realities.  Few states are providing public school educations that result in academic proficiency for students.  And even fewer states are providing access to a high-quality education to all students, particularly those from historically disadvantaged groups.