Print media effects on education policy

Print Media Affects & Education Policy

The Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) lawsuit against New York City was aimed at reforming the state funding system based on the argument that the New York State was not complying with its constitutional obligation to provide a sound basic education to its schoolchildren. The precedent of this case was Levittown v. Nyquist in which the Court of Appeal ruled in 1982 that the New York State constitution does not require equal funding for education. Despite inequalities that were recognized, the decision in this case ruled that the only right entitled to New York State students by the constitution is that to a sound basic education.

The CFE lawsuit was focused on proving that the students of New York were denied a sound basic education, which according to the Levittown case was unconstitutional. The New York Court of Appeal decided in 1995 that CFE was entitled to pursue a constitutional challenge of the state's education finance system and that if proved the fact that a great number of New York students were being denied a sound basic education, the situation will be corrected through a court decision.

The trial of CFE v. State of New York began in 1999 and a decision was ruled by July, 2000. In 2001, a ruling was issued which favored CFE and which also set the guiding parameters under which the state would conduct the reform of the school funding. The State of New York appealed the decision, but the Court of Appeals also ruled in favor of CFE on May 8, 2003. According to the recommendations of court-appointed referees, the State Supreme Court decided in February, 2005 that New York schools "need an additional $5.6 billion in operating aid and $9.2 billion in capital funding to provide students with their constitutional right to the opportunity to receive a sound basic education." The decision was also appealed by the New York State and the judicial battle continued. However, on November 20, 2006, the decision of the Court of Appeals was issued and it established a minimum funding figure of $1.93 billion. The decision thus issued can not be appealed as long as the state meets its minimum funding obligation, which has been met for the 2007-2008 school year.

The question brought by CFE is whether a financial increase in public education spending will result in higher academic achievements. It is difficult to answer this question considering that the spendings in education increased greatly in the past decades but the level of academic achievements decreased. Considering the academic results level in the State of New York, it is difficult to make a sure assumption that an increased funding level will result in an increased academic performance. A more plausible argument is that more important than the amount of money spent in public education system is the way that money are spent. So, in order to have results, we should look at the best alternatives that improve results and invest in those alone.

Clearly, CFE's arguments in favor of a sound basic education are legitimate, but the most important issue is how increased funding will be seen in the improvement of the academic level. The decision in the CFE lawsuit states that each school should have the necessary resources for providing a sound basic education that provides the minimum seven resources presented by Justice DeGrasse in his January 2001 ruling: "sufficient number of qualified teachers, principals, amd other personnel; appropriate class sizes; adequate and accessible school buildings with sufficient space to ensure appropriate class size and implementation of a sound curriculum; sufficient and up-to-date books, supplies, libraries, educational technology, and laboratories; suitable curricula, including an expanded platform of programs to help at-risk students by giving them more time on task; adequate resources for students with extraordinary needs; and a safe, orderly environment."

The funding system must be efficient and in order to be efficient, schools should provide all the presented seven elements. Efficiency should be the main concern when speaking of reforming the public education funding system. Clearly, a bigger budget does not stand for a greater efficiency. However, a bigger budget is required in order to ensure a greater efficiency that can be noticed in the number of drop-out students and in the state level academic achievements. Greater funding should not be the main concern when speaking of education reform as the main concern should be directed towards finding the most suitable methods of providing a sound basic education equitable for all students.

Equality of education should be one of the main principles of our educational system, as all students should have the same chances and opportunities for conducting their education. However, according to the CFE, these requirements are not entirely met in the New York State. Not all students have access to the same level of education, this resulting in the poor level of academic results encountered in several schools. This argument was convincing enough to determine the success of CFE in the lawsuit it was involved in, arguing that schools should have bigger fundings so that they can provide an equal level of education.

Considering that the American system is build on the principles of equality and equality of chances, it is only normal that the educational system should be reformed considering that it does not provide an equal level of education. The proof of this injustice stands in the poor academic results that certain social categories of students have. A greater funding of the public educational system, in New York or in any other state, could bring a great difference in the academic results and inequalities met by certain social categories. Because of the inequalities in education, "for many children, especially children who are poor and are racial minorities, both equality and excellence in education remain out of reach." Such a situation must be remedied and the in order to do so, those schools that represent problematic factors must be improved so that they provide the seven elements. In order to do so, a greater budget is required.

Given these arguments, I believe that a financial increase in public education spendings will result in higher academic achievements, especially for the underprivileged categories. Educational problems are more likely to occur for students that live in big cities, such as New York, that come from underprivileged families or from a poor social background. Also taking into consideration this argument, a greater budget must be given to New York City schools in order to fight against these severe inequalities.