In a press release issued today, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law expressed dismay at the legislature's refusal to comply with the full appellate court decision last week in the CFE lawsuit. The decision required the state to budget a minimum of $4.7 billion in New York City school operating expenses, phased-in over four years, by April 1.

On March 28, the legislature called for only $400 million in operating aid for New York City schools -- less than ten percent of what the court required.

There is no excuse for the State's failure to appropriate the necessary funds. "Only defiance of the courts by executive and legislative leadership prevents adoption of a budget that complies with constitutional requirements," said Deborah Goldberg, the Brennan Center's Democracy Program Director. "With the right of schoolchildren to a sound basic education at stake, this is no time to replace the rule of law with the rule of three-men-in-a-room."

read Brennan Center's full press release.

March 31, 2006