Two NY Public Schools Close in Proximity, But Far Apart in Resources
The public high school in Jericho, New York is just miles apart from the one in Westbury, but it spends thousands more dollars on each pupil per year. Leslie Brody, Wall Street Journal Greater New York education reporter, talks about the resource gap between neighboring public schools and how such disparities are playing into a debate in Albany over how much New York should spend on education, and how to allocate aid fairly.
"Sabrina, at Jericho, had her pick of 30 AP classes, 50 extracurricular clubs, field trips to Quebec and Paris. Down the parkway a few miles, Joshua, at Westbury, had a guidance counselor who was juggling 300 students… and field trips had a 5-mile radius," @lesliebrody.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) March 19, 2019
"NYS spends $27 billion right now per year for school aid. Much of that goes to even out the differences, but the formula is controversial, some think it’s inaccurate… others say that all districts could provide on their own if they were more efficient," says @lesliebrody.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) March 19, 2019
"There’s a property tax cap, and you can only raise property tax for schools… under 2 percent per year, so sometimes when neighborhoods change you can’t raise the revenue as fast as the neighborhood changes," says @lesliebrody.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) March 19, 2019
