The Court of Appeals has declared New York State is failing in its duty to provide all children the educational opportunities the constitution guarantees. NYSSBA supported the plaintiffs, the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, in this lawsuit and believes the governor and Legislature must fashion a statewide remedy. Below is NYSSBA's statement in reaction to the decision.
Campaign for Fiscal Equity Lawsuit Decision
Statement of Timothy G. Kremer, Executive Director
New York State School Boards Association
New York State's highest court has declared what should be a prompt end to this state's long and sorry history of making children's educational opportunity a function of the wealth of their community.
The Court of Appeals decision is a victory for every school district in the state that struggles to find resources to support its public schools. The high court makes clear that resources are indeed a critical element in educational achievement and that the state is ultimately responsible for ensuring those resources are adequate.
No other state in the nation has a greater gap between low-poverty and high-poverty districts in the amount of state and local revenue available per student, according to a 2002 study by the Education Trust. Education Week's consistently low marks for New York for the equity of distribution of financial resources to school districts are well-deserved.
The New York State Legislature and the governor can no longer ignore this inequity or content themselves with Band-Aid fixes. Our children and their future demand- now- an education finance system that provides adequate resources; distributes them equitably, predictably, and in a manner that is understandable to the general public; and that provides local districts flexibility in their use.
The New York State School Boards Association has partnered with the Campaign for Fiscal Equity in sponsoring a study, now underway, of what it should cost each district in the state to provide an adequate educational opportunity to every child and consistent with the constitutional standard. NYSSBA has also joined with CFE to sponsor community forums throughout the state and submitted friend-of-the-court briefs in support of their court case.
Eddy Speech (Anne Byrne presenter)
It is my great pleasure as president of the Nanuet Board of Education and as a personal friend to this year's EDDY winner to tell you how proud we are of the contributions this person has made to the community of Nanuet and the children in our schools. There are all kinds of reasons why people run for the school board and our winner exhibits the ideal -- this person ran because of the dedication he has to the lives of children and their potential.
This person has served as vice-president and president of the school board for four years each. Leadership is sometimes thrust upon one, but our winner embraced the role of board leadership and carried our district forward. We are proud of our results and are always striving to do better and our winner is a very active participant in our discussions and decisions. We are a better board because of the insights and knowledge of this individual. This person is very intelligent and extremely hard-working and is always well prepared for our meetings.
I have been trying very hard not to reveal who this winner is by not saying "he" or "she" and it is getting very difficult. This person is a fifteen-year member of our board and now this person knows who we are honoring. So as not to keep the rest of you in suspense, this year's winner is Harold Fogelman.
Now let me tell you about Harold. He is a psychiatrist in private practice and director of the child development center for the county. More importantly, he is the husband of Sandy and the father to Josh and Ben and most importantly he is the grandfather of Shoshanna Ruth, Moshe Zachariah, and Naomi Eve.
Those of you who know Harold look forward to his jokes, most of which are cute but corny. He has a dry sense of humor and a great wit. If you ever want to know the latest jokes the kids are telling, ask Harold. He also watches the shows on TV that the kids watch to keep up with the lives of children, (or at least that's what he tells us).
Harold collects autographs and has for many years. I don't know Harold, should we be insulted that you never asked any of us for our signatures.
Harold is still an officer in the military, holding the rank of Lt. Commander in the US Public Health Service Reserve.
He is a dog lover. He owns several and goes to all the famous dog shows every year.
Harold holds the strong conviction that students should be recognized for academic achievement to the same degree as athletic accomplishments.
He is a kind gentleman who truly has the best interest of children as his utmost concern. Harold's contributions have had a major impact on the board's decisions over the last 15 years. He has been there with the Lederle tax cert from almost the beginning and was certainly there at the successful completion. His expertise on childhood development has made us more aware of the needs of children and most especially our most fragile ones. He is a strong advocate for public education. He has served on all the board committees and regularly attends the convention and other workshops.
Harold just ran unopposed for another three-year term. I know he ran to continue the excellence we strive for in all children, but secretly I think it is because he hasn't completed both individual and board group psychoanalysis.
We in Nanuet are proud of Harold's accomplishments and thank the RCSBA for its recognition by honoring him with this prestigious award.
And Harold, congratulations for this well deserved award.
School launches herculean hot spot By Rupert Goodwins Special to CNET News.com June 17, 2003, 5:38 AM PT The University of Twente in the Netherlands has launched a unique, campuswide wireless hot spot, claimed to be the biggest in Europe.
The Next Killer Ap in Education -- RSS Feeds - by Mary Harrsch "Like many technology specialists, I have been looking for the next "killer app" for quite some time. I define a killer application as a program that gives average people the capability to use technology to solve everyday problems and enrich their lives. E-mail was the first killer app. Its usefulness has been demonstrated clearly by its being embraced across the entire spectrum of computer users."
"Grammar on the way back? "Systematic teaching of sentence structure has been long discouraged in education circles, but concerns about writing skills are leading many to reassess. Trying to change course, the board will add a new 800-point section to the SAT test two years from now in which students spend 25 minutes writing an essay and equal time answering multiple-choice questions on grammar, including such matters as subject-verb agreement and sentence construction. The test will have three 800-point sections: math, verbal and writing/grammar."
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