As I read the circular finger pointing about the NYC school budget, and get the e-mails asking me to protest the budget cuts, I am increasingly sickened. It seems like a grand conspiracy of deception, with all the proposed antagonists in on it, parents and taxpayers being played for fools, and the newspapers playing along. The teacher’s union and Sheldon Silver claim the state is wonderfully bestowing money on the schools and the city is taking it away. The teacher’s union also points to the contract budget and administrative costs at the Department of Education as if they were high rather than low. The Mayor and Chancellor Klein claim the state is unfairly directing money away from better off children to less well off children, playing the two off against each other. And they point to the teachers no one wants sitting in the rubber rooms, who have always been there. Everyone is coming up with all kinds of reason why the quality of education is going to be going down, and pointing at each other.
As I wrote here, however, the truth is that according to Census Bureau data two years ago in fiscal 2006 New York City’s instructional spending per child, at $8,679 after adjustment for the cost of living, was 56.3% higher than the national average ($5,552), and about as high as the adjusted Downstate Suburbs ($8,676) or Upstate New York ($8,555). That was after massive increases compared with the past, when the city’s schools were under-funded. The instructional employees — the teachers — had all the money they ought to need then. Yet from fiscal 2006 to fiscal 2008, according to city budget documents, NYC Department of Education spending has gone up an additional 17.1%. And in addition, the Mayor’s proposed budget increases school spending by 2.8% next year despite on onrushing fiscal crisis, and increases spending on teacher pay by 5.1%. So what is the problem? Everyone pointing the finger at each other knows, and none of them will say, because they were all in on it.
The problem is the Mayor, the teacher’s union, the state legislature, and former Governor Spitzer all agreed, with no dissent, with no public discussion, that starting this year teachers age 55 or over would be allowed to retire immediately (rather than at age 62) will full pension, full benefits, and without putting in an extra dime. And then the city would have to pay a second time to hire their replacements – if it could afford to. And that further, by paying in more each check, all current teachers could also retire at 55 rather than 62. They’ll be paying in a lot more if they were just hired this year and need to work 25 years before leaving, but just a few nickels extra if they are over 50. Money for those still on the job will have to be cut year after year to pay for this, into the far-off future.
The teachers’ union called that pension deal a “win” for children. No we know what the children won. No wonder they are desperate to make any argument, tell any lie, do anything they can to separate what is coming from this blatant heist. A heist from people almost none of whom will be able to retire at 65, let alone 62 or 55 without living in poverty. And Mayor Bloomberg? I can suspect he agreed to this in exchange for the teacher’s union’s implicit backing of his run for President. I can’t think of any other reason. The man can add, and what he had to say about this pension deal – that it would cost nothing (nothing!) – is one hell of a lot different than what he had to say about all the other pensions deals.
The numbers behind this deal were never made public. No one can see them. There was no press release, from the legislature or the Governor when it was approved. But it may have been the most significant financial decision of the Bloomberg administration, other than the 18% property tax increase in his first term, as measured by its effect on our quality of life into the far off future. Money will be going to pay ex-teachers in Florida for seven extra years, rather than teachers in New York City, forever. That, and higher education spending outside New York City that in the end NYC residents will end up paying for in higher state taxes, is in the end all that will come out of a decade of effort to improve the schools. For some of the players, that was probably all that was ever intended.
Won’t someone, anyone, tell the truth? This year, and then next November or April when our generous state slashes funding for the city schools and it gets even worse? Can the media at least stop repeating the lies? Can someone ask those spouting them why, if the city and state are in such a difficult position, and given that people are already paying such high taxes where, they decided to divert a massively increased share of the education budget to those no longer working? Can someone ask how many teachers retired last year, how many plan to take advantage of the deal to retire this year, how much their pensions and health benefits will cost, how much money was set aside in advance to pay for them to retire early (the answer is none), and how much it will cost to hire teachers to replace them? Ask the question, and report when they reuse to answer it!
As for Bloomberg, Klein, Weingarten, Silver, and Bruno, you may be able to get away with telling the big lie because the press doesn’t seem to be able to come with a whole squad of Goebbels telling lots of big lies rather than just one. But I know what you did.