School Tax Credits Now

Last month, rumors circulated in Albany that a deal was in the works to grant lawmakers a pay raise in exchange for an agreement to raise the cap on charter schools, a replay of a similar quid pro quo in 1998, when the State University of New York and the Board of Regents each gained the right to issue 50 charters to open new schools around the state, and legislative salaries jumped to $79,500 from $57,500.No pay raise materialized, but with the Board of Regents just announcing the approval of its last available charter, everyone recognizes that the Legislature has to take up the issue of the cap this session, and like before, the horse trading is sure to be intense. In order to prevail in these negotiations, I am convinced, genuine school reformers will have to broaden our agenda, up the ante, and drive a far harder bargain than we did last time around. We may not achieve everything we want, but as any good negotiator knows, you never receive anything at the end of the day that you did not think of asking for at the beginning.What should this broader agenda include? Before we can answer this question, we must first emphasize the scope of the challenge we face. While National Assessment of Educational Progress tests recently demonstrated that New York City schools were somewhat more competitive with other urban districts in the country than had been thought, and there were some signs of improvement, especially among minority students, the overall picture of K-12 education in New York and, more broadly, the United States, is bleak at best.Consider New York. Under NAEP, fully 81% of New York City eighth graders failed to score at the proficient level in reading in the most recent exam. Fully 79% failed to score at the proficient level in mathematics. Statewide, 64% of eighth-graders failed to score at the proficient level in reading, and 63% failed to score at the proficient level in mathematics. We must do better.But this is not just about New York. The problem is nationwide, and, as I explain shortly, the reasons are not hard to understand. First, the statistics. According to the Organization for Economic Development, data from 2003 shows that in mathematics, the United States placed in a tie with Hungary and other nations for 21st place out of 29, and in problem solving, we placed in a tie with Portugal and others for 23rd. Data from 2000 placed us 15th out of 31 in science and 14th in reading. With its relatively high expenditure and its relatively low student achievements at the school level, they concluded, the United States education system is clearly inefficient.More distressing, they calculated that the United States will soon lose its vaunted advantage in higher education. Looking at five-year-olds in 1999, they calculated that across the member states, the number of years these children could expect to attend school was 16.1, nearly the same as in the U.S., where the comparable figure was 16.3. As a result, they predicted that when these children grow up, the United States will drop in rank from No. 2 in the world in university education to No. 14.What ails us? One answer is that children do not attend school enough days and for enough hours in the United States compared with other nations. On a recent trip to China, for example, I learned that in many urban districts, children attend school for 290 days a year, and the school day lasts 10 hours. Long school years are common in many other countries as well. The figure in Japan is 240 with similarly long school years in countries such as Germany. By contrast, in New York, the school year only lasts 180 days a year, and the last time the Legislature visited the issue was 1913. Obviously, this has to change.Fortunately, and thanks to the charter school revolution, many education innovators now understand what must be done. Children at the highly successful KIPP Academy in the Bronx, for example, attend school from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a summer session and additional classes on alternating Saturdays. All in all, class time is 50% greater than in the typical district school. Not only does reason dictate that year-round, all-day schooling will lead to better educational outcomes, it’s also good for parents, making it easier (and less expensive) to juggle work and child rearing.Thus, the outlines of broad education reform become clear. First, we must significantly raise or eliminate the cap on charter schools. Given the universal recognition that charter schools work,(even the United Federation of Teachers has opened one), I would prefer full elimination. Why limit something that is clearly a success? But at the minimum, the cap should be set at 500.Second, we must begin the process of mandating a longer class day and extending the school year. In order to reduce the fiscal impact that increasing teacher salaries would entail, I propose that we stagger the process, extending the school day gradually, adding 10 days every two years until we reach a minimum of 220 days a year. Given the huge increases already allotted to public education in recent years, these additional costs would be relatively minor, and by staggering the process, we would have time to find other ways to economize and maintain fiscal discipline.Lastly, in order to continue expanding the importance of choice in education, I believe we need a generous school tax credit that will empower parents to buy computers or other educational tools for their children or help defray the cost of private or parochial school. All of these reforms, I am convinced, will significantly improve education across New York State. None of it will happen, however, if we do not stake out our negotiation position now and push hard for top-down reform. The deal struck in 1998 was a small step forward. This time, we need to do a whole lot better.Mr. Daniels is the vice chairman of the State University of New York board of trustees and cochairman of the Committee on Charter Schools. He has personally approved 46 charter schools operating or soon to open in New York State.

School Tax Credits Now

School Tax Credits Now

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