Taxes and education
The Commission on Property Tax Relief took a surprising direction in the report it released Monday. Not only did it lay out a blueprint for cutting school costs – the underlying driver of high property taxes – it dug deep to root out problems that have deviled educators for decades.
If the report’s recommendations survive the inevitable political battles to come, it will be because the commission listened to these nitty-gritty policy issues. It has published an in-depth look at special education costs, expensive regulations and possible consolidations. The commission, led by Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, did its homework.
Superintendents and school boards like a lot of what they see, although they continue to oppose the effort to cap school taxes at 4 percent a year or 120 percent of inflation. The New York State United Teachers stands alone in opposing nearly every positive suggestion to reduce New York’s highest-in-the-country per-pupil costs. NYSUT offers few ideas of its own for cutting costs.
Another key obstacle to a property tax cap, the State Assembly, has shown signs of softening. The tax commission placed greater emphasis on reducing property taxes for those who can’t afford them, going beyond its interim report issued in June. That could be a key to Assembly support.
The sorry state of New York’s finances will be apparent when Gov. David Paterson issues his 2009-10 budget in two weeks. Lawmakers will need to focus on cost-cutting, and this report offers one reasonable path out of the woods. Lawmakers and parents should read it (find a link to the report at newsday.com/opinion) – not simply listen to detractors’ sound bites – as these tough budget choices arise.
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Tags: Taxes