Editorial

Education Tax Credit Is Overdue

Posted

We heartily applaud Gov. Andrew Cuomo for keeping his promise to students and families by including in his 2015 Executive Budget a sorely needed education tax credit aimed at attracting private donations to support public and non-public schools.

With the State Senate’s passage of Sen. Martin Golden’s Education Tax Credit Bill on Jan. 21, right before Cuomo released his proposed budget, the bill has taken two giant steps toward enactment.

Support for the bill is strong in both houses of the Legislature, and it should be passed and signed into law without delay.

The bill, as outlined, would allow individuals and corporations to claim a credit on their state tax returns for donations that will help working and poor families by improving programs in public schools and funding scholarships that allow more educational choices.

Credits would be capped at a total of $100 million, with half earmarked for public schools and half for scholarship funds that assist Catholic and other non-public school families.

The state’s Catholic bishops have long supported such a measure, and were disappointed last year when Cuomo, after voicing his own support, failed to include it in his budget at that time.

But by placing the weight of his office behind a bill for 2015, and announcing it in the most public way possible in his State of the State address, the governor has made it clear that he’s willing to buck the powerful public school teachers unions who are among its staunchest opponents.

“Today is a historic day for education policy in New York State,” said Cardinal Dolan, on behalf of his fellow bishops, in a statement released by the New York State Catholic Conference after the governor’s speech.

The cardinal specifically thanked Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Sens. Golden and Simcha Felder, and Assembly Member Michael Cusick—three Democrats and two Republicans—for their support.

Now, the Assembly is the only stumbling block. Although the measure enjoys widespread support in that house, it has been opposed by longtime former Speaker Sheldon Silver, who’s always had strong ties to the teachers unions.

But with Silver out, and defending himself against federal corruption charges—a development that has shocked and roiled Albany—the Assembly is now in the hands of a new speaker, Assemblyman Carl Heastie of the Bronx.

In taking on this critical post, it is critically important that Heastie be willing to lead his chamber on a new path, joining Cuomo and Skelos in make sure this all-important tax credit bill becomes law.

Cuomo, at an editorial board meeting with the Daily News, referred to the unions and the educational establishment as an “industry” that seemed more interested in protecting its members’ jobs than improving the system for children.

“Somewhere along the way I believe we flipped the purpose of this,” Cuomo said. “This was never a teacher employment program and this was never an industry to hire superintendents and teachers.

“This was a program to educate kids.”

Cardinal Dolan, in his statement, said that passage of the Education Tax Credit bill is “critical…for the future of countless children across this state.”

“Expanding educational opportunities is a clear matter of social justice,” he said.

It certainly is that. And we are counting on our elected leaders to join in its support.