Spitzer, Mayor At Odds Over School Funding

Mayor Bloomberg yesterday rejected Eliot Spitzer's proposal to have the city kick in more funding for schools, saying the additional money required by the courts as part of a recent court ruling should come from the state.

While Mr. Bloomberg in the past has been clear about his position, yesterday was the first time the he publicly rejected Mr. Spitzer's proposal. Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat, is leading his Republican challenger in the race to become the next governor by a 3-to-1 margin.

"I think New York City has done exactly what, if I read the papers correctly, what Eliot Spitzer thinks is appropriate," Mr. Bloomberg said. "The city should come up with part of it. The difference is we've already done it. We're not waiting for a resolution on the CFE lawsuit."

Mr. Bloomberg said the city has already raised its school spending by $3.3 billion since 2002, a 56% increase. He said the state has provided only an additional $1.5 billion, or a 26% increase.

Mr. Spitzer has made it clear that he wants the city to contribute at least $1 billion on the $4 billion to $6 billion that he says is need to satisfied the socalled Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit.

The issue is pitting Messrs. Bloomberg and Spitzer against each other on a major policy item even before Mr. Spitzer gets voted into office.

The debate could get even stickier as Mr. Spitzer sets out to define himself as governor and Mr. Bloomberg tries to make good on his pledge to transform the city's public school system before he is forced out of office by term limits.

Earlier this week, Mr. Spitzer was quoted in the Daily News as saying Mr. Bloomberg's prized mayoral control could factor into negotiations over how the city and state will split the cost of the new funding.

Yesterday, Mr. Bloomberg said mayoral control and funding are two separate issues and should not be linked in that negotiation.

"I would assume it would be discussed and considered on the merits," the mayor said, referring to mayoral control."It has absolutely nothing to do with funding. Funding is one thing. Mayoral control and the future of our children is something very different."

Mr. Bloomberg also said the city would "press very hard to make the case that New York City taxpayers have stood up," and that other counties should have to do the same if they are to get more state CFE money.

Both the city and state are facing daunting budget gaps. Mr. Spitzer has said that the state could afford to pay for an initial installment to the city. Calls to Mr. Spitzer's campaign office were not returned yesterday.