Governor to Appeal Decision on Education Finance Reform

On Tuesday, January 23, Michael Rebell, Executive Director and Counsel for CFE, along with Lee Serravillo, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of New York State, and Dr. Robert J. Hanna of the Midstates School Consorium, held a press conference to brief the press on the impact of Justice Leland DeGrasse's decision in CFE v. State of New York and strategies to expedite the appeals process.

He presented a viable procedure and possible remedies developed by CFE and other education advocates to move the State toward timely compliance with Justice DeGrasse's mandate to provide every child in the State with the opportunity for a sound basic education. Details of an upcoming joint project with CFE and the League of Women Voters and the proposal of the Mid-States' Schools Consortium was also provided.

Since the landmark decision was announced, some have pressed hard to convince the public of the false impression that this decision only benefits New York City. In fact, the decision impacts all of the state's 205 rural, suburban and urban districts identified as high need by NYS's Education Department. The public is also being misled that tinkering with a few of the formulas is all that is needed to improve the finance system.

The only way to comply with Justice DeGrasse's decision is to abandon the current education finance system in its entirety and replace it with an objective, needs based system that is fair and comprehensible. The reformed system must incorporate appropriate accountability mechanisms to ensure that the reforms adopted by the legislature result in meaningful educational opportunities for all students in the every school district in the state.

Mr. Rebell has asked the governor and legislature to immediately form an independent panel of educators and economists who stand outside of the political fray to analyze the State's options and recommend a fair education finance system.