Pitch College Aid As Local Districts Struggle
There is irony in Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s recently coming out in favor of free in-state tuition to New York’s public colleges and universities. In an era when his signature 2-percent tax cap is causing school districts to struggle to meet expenses, his support for a higher-education program estimated to cost $160 million in the first year of full implementation is, well, astonishing.
Given Mr. Cuomo’s presumed presidential ambitions, this apparently is not a contradiction for him. He spoke up with a raft of progressive measures almost as swiftly as Hillary Clinton’s defeat became known and the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination opened up. To prevail in the primaries, and possibly in the general election, Mr. Cuomo would have to continue to take steps that speak to a broad set of voters. As the governor of a high-tax Eastern state, he could point to the 2-percent cap as evidence of fiscal discipline. Free college tuition could pay off for him with young voters as well. Indeed, Senator Bernie Sanders, who called for free tuition at public universities nationwide in his primary bid, accompanied Mr. Cuomo as he made the announcement.
State programs already exist for New York’s poorest students. Mr. Cuomo’s idea is to help middle-class families and scholars whose household incomes are between $55,000 and $125,000. As envisioned, the state would step in to fill the gap between other grants or scholarships and the full cost of tuition. He called for the State Legislature to act fast, with the program to be fully implemented by 2019 — conveniently smack in the middle of his expected Democratic primary bid.
The 2-percent tax cap is a bit of a misnomer. What it does is limit the amount by which school districts and other local governments can increase the amount of money raised by taxes for operating costs from one year to the next. This presents little problem for five-member town boards, which vote on their own spending plans. But even with the figure somewhat less than 2 percent in practice, the stakes are much higher for school districts, where voters are asked to approve budgets each year, and a two-thirds majority is required to exceed the cap. Strict austerity is mandated otherwise.
When Mr. Cuomo first proposed the tax cap, his argument was that the hard line on spending would gradually reduce the number of local governments and ultimately save money as property taxes fell. It has not really worked that way; school districts in particular jealously guard their autonomy even in the face of crippling financial pressures, and over the years few school districts have dared ask voters to pierce the cap.
Mr. Cuomo’s tax cap has turned out to be all stick, no carrot. He has put his hands around the throats of the districts without offering meaningful leadership on state aid, school consolidation, or other cost-saving solutions. It is disappointing to see him support state spending for college students so eagerly while continuing to ignore the fiscal demands of elementary and secondary education. Tuition help is a worthy goal, but Mr. Cuomo must not continue to look past the rest of New York’s educational system.