NYT editorials

Here's a brain-teaser for today.  Who wrote this:

Mr. Bloomberg’s proposal would drive more money to the neediest schools, but there are serious questions about whether it will be sufficient...The new formula would also be subject to tampering by politicians.

And who wrote this:

Mr. Spitzer’s most innovative move throws out the calcified state education formula, which cheats poor, urban school districts, and directs substantially more money to the schools that need it most.

The answer: BOTH were written by the New York Times editorial writers!  (The first one comes from the disgraceful editorial last Sunday (www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/opinion/28sun3.html) that I critiqued in an earlier email and the latter came from the editorial below (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/01/opinion/01thu3.html) on Spitzer's budget.)

 

Bloomberg and Klein's plan at the city level is virtually identical to Spitzer's plan at the state level -- both plans throw out politically driven funding formulas that screw poor kids -- yet the NYT editorial writers go out of their way to dump on the city plan, yet praise the state plan.  Shame, shame!

 

----------------------

February 1, 2007

Editorial

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/01/opinion/01thu3.html

Governor Spitzer’s Pivotal Budget

Gov. Eliot Spitzer described his first New York State budget yesterday as a “pivot” from the old way of doing things. He wants to turn away from a financial system that rewards political favorites to one that focuses on what regular people — students, patients, taxpayers, workers — actually get when New York spends a stunning $120 billion. That emphasis has resulted in one of the boldest, bravest budget proposals in Albany in many years.

Mr. Spitzer’s most innovative move throws out the calcified state education formula, which cheats poor, urban school districts, and directs substantially more money to the schools that need it most. He is proposing universal prekindergarten care, which is critical to helping the most disadvantaged children, and he wants to build in accountability to ensure the money is well spent.