Spitzer's School Tax Credit Support
This is interesting:
Gubernatorial hopeful Eliot Spitzer said yesterday he favors funneling more state cash to private schools.I do recall him speaking out in favor of the tax credit last year (after a fashion, at least), and I'm pleased to see him reiterate his support for recent attempts by NY lawmakers to find a constitutional solution to deal with the tuition crisis.
Spitzer, speaking to Orthodox Jews at a Brooklyn yeshiva, said it is unjust that private schools educate 15% of the state's students but get only 1% of the education budget.
"We will work on that," promised Spitzer, a graduate of the prestigious and private Horace Mann High School in the Bronx.
The Democratic front-runner does not support vouchers - public funds that can be used to help pay tuition at private schools, his spokeswoman Christine Anderson said.
"He believes that measures such as the Child Tax Credit, which was enacted with his support last year, can provide relief for parents who choose to send their children to private school," she said.
posted by orthomom at 7:28 AM
5 Comments:
Hi orthomom,
You have blogged about the discrimination in Israeli Charedi schools against 'franken' (sephardim) and now R Yosef has allowed them to bring a civil suit in the secular courts. Talk about mesirah, huh.
See here,
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/?p=3449#more-3449
Orthomom,
Thank you for printing this article, as a mother of children in this district, I find it frustrating that a certain percentage of this community on both sides try to destroy unity,harmony,etc. Public schools do not try to screw the yeshivas, as you read Spitzer will not support use of public money for private schools, and I don't think he means only the yeshivas. Reading blogs from people saying, they have no more tough, is not productive, because even if the budget fails, your taxes will go up. Fix the public schools, get more math tutors, update playgrounds, add true ld programs instead of sending these children into the city to the Churchill school. Advertise our special education programs, afford all students to use the intel advisor, bring back GATE, district wide, and test all children. I say all, because there are children that go to LWA,Chaminade etc. Have the district test design a standard test for each grade to be given in September-December-Feb-June, ANY child who scores a 2, should be referred to weekend help, like other school districts do, if we set up programs like these less children would be sent for evaluations. Have the special education department audited by a local third pary advocate group, inconjunction with parents from all of the community, we are over the state average on classifications, if we can give these children related services, and not classify that would be great. All of these things would work well, but we need support from all of the women in this community. We are the only ones who can do this. Come to the board meeting Nov 7 and let us unite as the women of this community to take care of ALL of our kids.
Unfortunately, the man whose opinion matters the most on these issues, our own Sheldon Silver, did not endorse Spitzer's position at the breakfast yesterday.
Whats with the aish kodesh mail about GG?
I think that the way to get public funding of private schools is to get the unions involved. Most Catholic schools are unions and they would have an interest in state aid because that would increase their pay. Of course, this would require increases in pay for teachers at Jewish schools, but that is something we should all support anyway! In any case, repeal of the Blaine amendment would require a broad-based coalition and that would be the place to start.
Of course, acceptance of public funds would probably require Jewish schools to admit non-Jews.
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