When I presented my vision this year for the budget, I gave it a name: the Opportunity Agenda.
Because one of the most important paths to opportunity is a good education, this budget could increase funding for public education by nearly 5 percent, to record high levels that are three times the scheduled increase.
Just as important, it strengthens performance standards and accountability to make sure our students are getting what we are paying for.
But the first step — and maybe the most important step from the perspective of students and their families — is access to quality education. That’s the goal of the DREAM Act and the Education Tax Credit, or ETC.
The DREAM Act allows undocumented immigrants to apply for college tuition assistance from the state. It is in keeping with New York’s tradition of welcoming immigrants to our state.
Unlike what we are seeing in other states, here in New York we are not afraid of immigrants. We invite immigrants knowing that diversity makes us stronger.
The DREAM Act would cost $27 million in a budget of $141 billion. But the DREAM Act is important because of its message: We are going to work with you and invest in you regardless of where you come from and invest in young people born here and who live here. We must pass the DREAM Act this year.
The ETC would expand options for families seeking additional choices in the grades before college. The purpose is in part to aid parochial and religious schools. Many nonpublic schools, especially parochial, are facing increased costs and are closing.
I’m the product of Catholic grammar school at a time when most of the teachers were nuns.
Today, there are more lay teachers — who, while usually paid less than public-school teachers, are more expensive than nuns, adding to the pressure on Catholic schools.
Even so, public schools are usually more expensive. The cost of absorbing students from closed parochial and private schools into public schools is picked up by the taxpayer. Closing off this education option increases the burden on a struggling public system without doing anything to improve it.
The ETC allows taxpayers to claim a tax credit for education-related contributions.
The program is capped at $100 million in aggregate tax credits, half of which will be dedicated to public education entities, school improvement organizations and local education funds, the other half of which will be for educational scholarship organizations that provide support to low- and middle-income students to attend public schools outside their district or nonpublic schools.
Much of the opposition to the ETC comes from mistaken assumptions about what it is. It is not, for instance, a voucher plan. Parents do not get a tax credit for sending their children to private schools. It also does not divert a penny from state spending on public education. The ETC will, however, result in more private donations to public schools, so public schools are among the beneficiaries.
Students who attend nonpublic schools will also benefit. But this is not the first time — not the “camel’s nose under the tent” as some would argue.
New York state already helps nonpublic schools in various ways. And as it is, donations to nonpublic schools are already tax deductible. The camel is in the tent. Thankfully, New York is a big-tent state!
So why is the ETC needed? It is needed because we live in a time when 250,000 children have passed through schools that have been failing for a decade or more. Students need additional options. Some districts, like Buffalo, have more requests for students to transfer out of failing schools than there are slots available in better schools.
So the ETC is a win for public schools and nonpublic schools. It is a win for students, their parents and taxpayers. Most of all, it is win for the future of New York state because it expands opportunity for our children.
The Legislature should pass this important initiative this year.
Andrew Cuomo (D) is New York’s governor.