ALBANY – A new report from nonprofit public education advocacy groups shows that proposed cuts to education will disproportionately affect Black, brown, and low-income students.
The report, “Set up To Fail: How Cuomo’s School Cuts Target New York’s Black and Brown Students,” examines potential 20% cuts to the state budget in the wake of coronavirus shortfalls.
It shows that the burden of a 20% reduction in school aid would be unfairly borne by high-need schools that serve students of color or students from poor backgrounds. According to the report, high-need districts face a cut of $2,626 per student, whereas wealthier districts—far better-equipped to absorb cuts—face cuts of only $873 per student.
According to the Alliance for Quality Education, “It is essential that the most vulnerable students are protected. The governor, Department of Budget, and state legislature will need to develop a more equitable solution to cut the least from high-need districts and cutting the most from wealthy districts.”
They use Ohio as an example: “Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, made a $300 million cut to public schools this spring; but under Governor DeWine’s plan, the high-need districts in Ohio lost only 1% of their state funding, while wealthy districts lost 40%. DeWine publicly stated that he had an obligation to protect the state’s most vulnerable students, and leave the wealthy districts, which have more local resources, to bear the brunt of the state’s cuts.”
Echoing a frequent refrain, the report’s backers say legislation raising taxes on the wealthy would help to protect students from devastating cuts.
The report was released Tuesday by the Alliance for Quality Education and the Public Policy and Education fund of New York, both in New York City. Take a look at the full report below:
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