THE ISSUE:
Public school education spending and reform will be agenda setters this legislative session.
THE STAKES:
School districts need more money, and advice, to get better results for our children.
A bonfire is expected this state legislative session, and it's likely to be the Board of Regents' so-called "reform agenda" being roasted. But before the fire is stoked, let's consider what's fueling it.
To be sure, the state Department of Education hasn't done an adequate job managing the implementation of either the Common Core Standards or the new teacher evaluation system. Rolling them out simultaneously has churned stress and confusion.
Already this month two powerful voices have suggested reforms: Sen. John Flanagan, R-Long Island, whose Senate Education Committee took 30 hours of testimony on the reform agenda, and the New York State Educational Conference Board, which comprises representatives of superintendents, administrators, business officials, school boards, the state's largest teacher's union, and PTAs. And Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch has appointed a task force to review complaints regarding the standards and report back by February with recommendations for improvement.
But let's be sure to take those marshmallows out of the fire before they're burnt. Smart tweaks should move forward — like more money for professional development, which will lessen the stress on teachers and, thereby, students, and more money for early childhood education, which studies have found are integral to improving children's academic success.
But it would be a mistake to heed the calls for delay or reversal of the education reform effort. A majority of New York high school graduates aren't college- or career-ready, and our schools don't show well internationally.
Results of the latest Program for International Student Assessment revealed that American 15-year-olds were just average on reading and science and below average in math. Efforts to fix all that may be disruptive, but they cannot be abandoned.
The Regents' suggested 2014 school aid hike of $1.3 billion is a good start. Most of that would go to general support tied to base aid formulas and efforts to eliminate the gap between rich and poor school systems. Some $300 million would focus on pre-kindergarten, as well as training teachers and educating parents about the new standards.
The Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo would be wise to implement this spending plan, with two caveats: The inherently flawed distribution formulas need to be fixed and districts need to be made whole to 2008 funding levels. An analysis by state Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, found 642 school districts still aren't getting what they got in 2008. The state has mostly recovered from the fiscal crisis arising from the Great Recession, but it hasn't helped schools catch up. Yet districts are now dealing with multiple fundamental changes.
One more thing: New York still had the highest per-pupil spending nationally as of 2011-12, the latest data available from the National Education Association, yet our outcomes aren't any better. Our political leaders are right to demand that schools produce better, more consistent metrics.
And that would be worth a hearty song around the campfire.