Albany among small city school districts suing for more state aid

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ALBANY — A group of smaller city school districts in New York said it will sue the state for more funding, similar to the way New York City schools sued to get billions of dollars more in operating and capital funds.

The state Association of Small City School Districts said Tuesday the suit will be filed by parents in 10 districts claiming the state has failed to adequately fund the schools, driving up local taxes and shortchanging students.

The announcement comes as Gov. David Paterson says no area of state funding will be spared from consideration for cuts as the state faces $47 billion in deficits over the next four years.

State school aid is now more than $20 billion a year and per-pupil spending — as a statewide average — is among the highest in the nation.

“While small-city school districts are different in some respects from New York City, their students face many of the same challenges,” said Robert Biggerstaff, general counsel to the association. “Despite some reforms to education aid enacted in 2007, the state is still not meeting its obligation to these students under the state constitution.”

The New York City district won a court battle against the state that lasted more than 10 years until it was settled in 2007 with a multiyear plan to increase aid. The Campaign for Fiscal Equity, a coalition of parents, school and teachers union officials and education advocates, argued the state had failed on its constitutional obligation to provide a sound education.

Any change forced by the lawsuit would likely revise the state’s aid formula, and could effect all smaller city school districts.

Involved in the legal action are the Albany, Beacon, Jamestown, Kingston, Mount Vernon, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda, Port Jervis and Tonawanda city school districts.

There was no immediate response from Paterson’s budget office, which is now working on the 2009-10 state budget proposal due in December.

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comments

October 28, 2008 7:20 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]

Riley ( no real name given ) says... These lawsuits are exactly why the country is facing the problems we are. 10 years of litigation will cost taxpayers millions of dollars.