New York state has a golden opportunity. We can make a $20 million investment, knowing that it almost certainly would yield returns many times over. An investment that would allow thousands of young people to pursue their dreams of higher education, add significantly to their earning power and to the state's tax coffers — all while simultaneously helping mitigate the impact of our broken immigration system.
It sounds like a no-brainer, and yet our elected officials have again let this opportunity pass us by. What a shame.
For the past couple of years, a broad and diverse group of New Yorkers, not all of whom necessarily see eye-to-eye on other issues, found common ground in their support for the New York state Dream Act, which would open up state tuition assistance to certain undocumented young people who came here as children and grew up here.
The Assembly passed the act earlier this year, but, after a rushed and suspicious vote, the Senate failed to pass it by a mere two votes, with the entire Republican delegation voting "no" (Sens. Kemp Hannon and Phil Boyle were notably absent for the vote) and two Democrats, Sens. Simcha Felder and Ted O'Brien, joining them on this roll call of foolishness. To add insult to injury, the final negotiated state budget did not include this small but worthy expense.
What a missed opportunity. The state could have lived up to its legacy and offered an opportunity to young people who simply want to contribute fully to the place they call home — and served as a down payment that would have resulted in an economic bonanza for all of us down the line. About $20 million in additional funding for tuition assistance would have covered the act's cost — and, importantly, would have expanded the number of students eligible for such aid.
This bears repeating: Contrary to false claims, it would not have taken a cent of aid away from a single student. This $20 million investment is just 2 percent of the total tuition assistance budget, and 100th of 1 percent of the entire state budget. It would cost each New Yorker 87 cents — less than the cost of a doughnut, according to the Fiscal Policy Institute, to allow 8,000 of our students to attend college. Meanwhile, we would reap the rewards from allowing these youth to get a college degree, which would net an additional $320 million in tax revenue for the state over the course of these students' lifetimes. Forget Google stock — this Dream Act is truly the investment of a lifetime.
There have been true champions for the Dream Act — Sens. Bill Perkins, Jose Peralta, Assemblyman Francisco Moya and Speaker Sheldon Silver; Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch, Education Commissioner John King, and the leadership of CUNY and SUNY. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, after a long silence, said last month that he would sign the bill if it passed the Legislature, encouraging, but not the strong leadership that New York's students needed from the governor.
The leaders who failed to deliver should keep in mind the remarkable young people who have been pushing for Dream.
They are used to facing obstacles and forging ahead; they wouldn't be striving to go to college otherwise. So they're not giving up, and we're not giving up.
We've come close to winning Dream, and we'll eventually get past the finish line. But, in the meantime, we won't forget how our elected officials shrank from showing courage — and how they've put the dreams of thousands of young New Yorkers on hold.