State Educators File Lawsuit Against Gov. Paterson

New York, NY —

Education groups hoping to stop Gov. David Paterson's move to withhold payments to schools this month have filed a lawsuit. The state's school board, superintendents, and teachers union claim the governor has violated the constitutional separation of powers.

Kevin Casey with the School Administrators Association says voters in school districts approved those budgets back in May. "These are budgets on a school district level, that have been approved by district tax payers, and have essentially been blown up as a result of the governor's actions," Casey says.

The groups say the governor should have relied on short-term borrowing instead of slashing their budgets.

They are currently not seeking a restraining order against Paterson's cuts, but say they expect expedited court action.

The governor called the groups "extra special interests" who, he says, want special treatment at a time when New York is running out of money.