I’m Not The Only One

by Daniel Cuevas

Originally published on Political Storm on March 6, 2004.

Being the wealthiest city in the wealthiest nation in the world means little when public schoolchildren are treated to a cash-strapped curriculum you’d expect in the poorest rural section of any third-world country.
In New York City, all three levels of government, from Washington to Albany to Manhattan, have taken part in making sure our youngest New Yorkers remain as educationally disenfranchised as possible. What is happening to New York’s public schools is merely a reflection of the increasing lack of interest and funds into our nation’s public school systems.
The end result is that those Americans who can’t afford the luxury of private schooling and private tutors are left to twist in the wind as public school administrations nationwide struggle to fulfill their mission with a bare-bones budget which is being further sliced every year. A guaranteed quality education used to be what set America apart from the rest of the world; a revolutionary precedent set when this nation was founded. Today’s public school system, however, is a sad joke at the expense of the taxpayers.
Let me explain what is going on in New York City public schools. In a country where taxation must be accompanied with adequate representation (sounds familiar?), New York City teaches 35 percent of the State’s children, but only receives about 34 or 33 percent of the State’s educational funds.
This two or three percent disparity may not sound like much, but considering that New York City has a multi-billion dollar budget and over 2 million kids in its system, the effects are dramatic. Many schools are overcrowded, with a few even operating at a capacity as high as 200 percent. They are a fire hazard and a tragedy just waiting to happen. The City doesn’t have the money to build enough new schools to significantly decrease the overcrowding. Maybe the City and State can build a few classrooms in that West Side Stadium they’re willing to pay $600 million for!
In 1993, parents groups, activists, and children’s advocates formed the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) with the purpose of forcing the State to admit it has been cheating the children of New York City out of tens of millions of dollars for years and give City kids their fair share. CFE sued New York State in its own Supreme Court on the grounds that the State had violated its own Constitution which guarantees New Yorkers the right to a free quality public education.
After years of intensive trials, in 2001, the State Supreme Court found the State’s school funding methods unconstitutional and ordered the State to completely reform the funding system. But the State filed an appeal and won, rejecting the 2001 ruling. According to CFE co-founder Robert Jackson, the court stated that “New York State students were only entitled to an eighth-grade level of education and should be prepared solely for low-level unskilled labor.” Hardly sounds like a fitting position in the Information Age in which we live.
CFE went back to court, and in June 2003, the State Court of Appeals rejected the 2002 ruling. They set a deadline for the State to begin piling on extra tax dollars to give New York City its fair share of funding. However, when the 2005 State budget was passed this past year (ten months past deadline, nice going guys!) no such appropriations were made to give New York City its fair share, even though the state has been ordered to give New York City an additional $12 billion in school funds. My guess is CFE will have to return to court and continue a struggle that has already taken 12 years.
Since the state and federal governments are not likely to give City schools the money they need, the New York City Department of Education (DOE) has turned to the private sector for funding, or in the very least, a few freebees. Remember when class field trips used to include destinations like museums and zoos? Those days are coming to a close as nonprofit organizations which get lots of City funding and even a few City agencies themselves are charging public schools to visit them even though they are aware that City schools can barely afford even their lowest admission fees.
The New York Aquarium in Brooklyn charges schools who want to take their students there $5.25 per child, and the zoos of Manhattan’s Central Park, Queens’ Flushing Meadows, and Brooklyn’s Prospect Park all charge $1 per child. A field trip to the Bronx Zoo is free, but certain sections like the children’s petting zoo (gee, why would children want to go to a children’s zoo?) are off-limits to school kids. The Queens County Farm Museum wants cash-strapped schools to fork over anywhere from $2 to $8 per kid.
Once again, as the public sector and those organizations that enjoy tax-free exemptions turn their backs on these kids, the DOE once again turns to the private sector, who have no problem with public school field trips as long as they can further ingrain their company name into another young mind.
But thanks to a company called Field Trip Factory, City schools have been able to go on free field trips to such well-known cultural and educational institutions as Waldbuam’s, Petco pet stores, and Sports Authority. At Petco, kids learn about respect for animals, pet care, and of course, basic facts about various animals. Students even leave with free souvenirs.
At Sports Authority, field trips teach exercise techniques, the importance of safety when playing sports, injury prevention, and cardiovascular health. Kids get to try fitness equipment and safety gear. The Waldbaum’s field trip teaches kids about nutrition, meal planning, and smart shopping. Kids here get small food and beverage samples. All in all, it’s a pretty clever way for these corporations to get prospective future customers familiar with their products and services.
Now I’m not trying to bash corporations, but make no mistake, every move they make is done with the intention of making money. Burger King wasn’t established just because its founder felt the world would benefit from eating more hamburgers. But since the agencies and nonprofits we pay for all the time don’t seem to want our kids, Field Trip Factory seems to offer the best solution available.
Public schools turning to private interests for help is not limited to New York. In Michael Moore’s book, “Stupid White Men,” he describes how many school systems across the country now allow advertising on school property in exchange for a few extra dollars in the school budget.
It astounds me that politicians at the highest levels of government don’t see how investing in public education benefits the whole society. But then again, they’re probably not interested in the welfare of Americans as a whole, but the small over privileged segment to which they belong. George Bush’s No Child Left Behind program actually sounds like a good plan for America’s public schools. But without the adequate funding to properly nourish this program, many children will continue to be left behind.
Sure, the handful of magnet schools, many of which rely on outside grants to fund them turn out impressive test scores, but for the majority of New York City students, scholastic success occurs in spite of, not because of, the education they receive.
The educational gap will only widen as the only ones receiving a decent education will soon be the ones rich enough to not rely on the government to provide it for them. In this Information Age, it becomes more and more apparent that our political leaders are only intent on creating a caste system reminiscent of Old Europe consisting of the educated few and the ignorant masses.