The $700 million in additional state dollars is - must be - only a first step. But at last, New York has a governor who is willing to start making up for years of neglecting the city's public schools. Also good is the fact that the city has a mayor and a chancellor who prepared for the day when the money would come.
The reforms Mayor Bloomberg has put in place - ending social promotion, boosting instructional time, holding educators accountable for student performance - began improving the school system despite the state's chiseling and laid the groundwork for even greater gains once the CFE funds arrived. Already, it's working: Test scores and graduation rates are up. Now, it can work better.
Much of the $700 million is earmarked for salaries and benefits under collective bargaining agreements, special education and charter schools. But $228 million is for new programs to boost student achievement, especially in high-needs areas. The state's limitations on how that money must be spent mesh with the city's goals of improving teacher training, restructuring middle and high schools, expanding pre-K and reducing class size.
Class size-reduction plans include hiring 1,300 teachers, with the initial focus on the most crowded schools.
Klein will likely be hearing a lot about class size at a series of public meetings scheduled this week in all five boroughs. It is, of course, an important thing. But it's not the only thing. Taking a broad-based approach, bolstering programs that already yield results while adding to initiatives that couldn't be adequately funded before, is the wiser way to go.
