By Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz

The state of public schools in New York was rightly highlighted in Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address in January. With fewer than 36 percent of students in grades 3 through 8 proficient in math, fewer than 32 percent of students proficient in English literacy, and only 38 percent of high school students deemed college ready, it is undeniable that much more must be done to improve our public school system in New York.

In promoting an anti-union agenda, including raising the cap on charter schools and increasing the importance of standardized tests in evaluating teachers– though I fail to understand how a student’s scores on a math or reading test can be used to evaluate a music or art teacher’s effectiveness – Governor Cuomo ignored the elephant in the room: that New York City schools have been chronically underfunded for years, to the tune of 2.5 billion dollars, according to a recent report.

In their 2006 ruling on the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit, the New York State Court of Appeals found that for decades, suburban and upstate school districts benefitted from significantly higher funding than downstate districts, violating our state’s constitutional obligations to provide a “sound basic education” for all students. The court ruled that the state must increase funding for schools by a minimum of several billion dollars plus inflation, with funds directed towards districts with large numbers of high-need students.

Yet a report by the Alliance for Quality Education and the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York found that in the nine years since the court ruling, New York State has failed to meet these funding requirements. Schools across the Bronx and other boroughs still face growing class sizes, little access to new teaching materials, decreased administrative staff support, and crumbling facilities. The report found that schools in my 81^st Assembly District alone are owed a total of $61,875,115, the fourth highest in the city. Four of the ten assembly districts owed the most money are in the Bronx. This is simply unacceptable.

The Assembly has long been a strong advocate for our schools. Thanks in large part to the efforts of our Democratic conference, funding for districts with failing schools has increased by almost 14 percent over the past three years. But more support is needed to overcome the systemic and historic inequities that these schools face. This year, the Assembly’s budget plan increases funding for schools by 1.8 billion dollars for the 2015-2016 school year, nearly twice the increase proposed by Governor Cuomo. A large majority of this new funding would be directed to struggling schools based on student need. These new funds would go towards hiring new teachers, social workers, and guidance counselors, investing in arts and afterschool programming, re-establishing school libraries as centers of learning and research, and more.

How many schools in the Bronx do not have an auditorium, a gymnasium or a library? How many children in the Bronx have classes in cold trailers, rather than real classrooms? How many of our children are taught with technology years behind that of some of our suburban neighbors? If we want our students in the Bronx to receive a first-rate education, it’s time they are no longer treated as second-rate children. It’s time to stop scapegoating teachers. And it’s time for us to move beyond discussing diversionary tactics such as teacher evaluations and raising the cap on charter schools and instead focus on addressing the huge inequities in our state’s public school funding.

Assemblyman Dinowitz represents the 81st Assembly District, covering parts of Norwood, Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Fieldston and Wakefield.