We Long Islanders must all do our part

On Jan. 17, in front of New York’s policymakers, Governor Cuomo announced his 2012-13 budget. The governor used the speech to apply pressure to our state’s unions, interest groups and school districts by defiantly stating, take what we’re offering or make due without state funding.

The executive budget sets overall spending at $132.5 billion, $225 million less than the current budget. This is the first time in 16 years that the governor’s office has managed to cut state spending in consecutive years, in and of itself a major feat.

The governor also included a 401(k)-style pension package as an option for new state employees — something I’ve been pushing for in this column for months.

The budget will also provide aid to counties for their Medicaid costs, stating that the state will “take over a limited amount of the expenses” — a total of $1.2 billion over the next five years.

Given all of the taxes we pay in New York, it isn’t enough to cover Medicaid alone. What’s wrong with this equation?

The boldest announcement, however, was a plan to boost school aid by $805 million if school districts adopt a new, tougher teacher-evaluation process by January 2013. Not surprisingly, this did not sit well with the teachers’ union. Cuomo, however, was clear, saying, “The equation is simple. At the end of the day, no evaluation, no money.”

Bravo!

What could this mean for Long Island schools? Last year, Long Island was hit hard with tough state aid cuts, losing $206 million in aid. As a result, many school districts were forced to cut services and increase class sizes.

This situation can be rectified, however, if the school districts and the teachers’ union join in support of Cuomo’s proposal to implement a strict teacher-evaluation system. With $805 million being evenly distributed around the state, Long Island school districts would receive an additional 2.7 percent in aid, or an increase of about $56.3 million. In turn, this money would allow school districts to survive the new 2 percent cap on property tax levies, set to begin at the start of the new school year, and allow them to bring class sizes back to standard levels and reinstitute necessary services.