Encouraged by the plaintiffs in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case, it’s conventional wisdom in the State Capitol and New York’s City Hall that Justice Leland DeGrasse’s final order must form the basis for any legislative action to improve the “adequacy” of education in city schools.

DeGrasse has ruled the state should spend $5.6 billion mnore in annual in aid to city schools, plus $9.2 billion more for capital expenditures on school buildings.

But does the judge really have the power to force the Legislature into adopting such a specific remedy? Are there alternatives that would pass constitutional muster?

To explore those and other questions revolving around the CFE case, the Empire Center for Public Policy is sponsoring a Breakfast Forum in New York City on Tuesday, June 28. Panelists will include David Schoenbrod, a law professor at New York Law School and co-author of Democracy by Decree: What Happens When Courts Run Government; former Deputy Mayor Anthony Coles; and William Phillips, president of the New York Charter School Association.

Space is limited, so attendance is by invitation only. For further information, go to our events page.

Tags:

About the Author

Tim Hoefer

Tim Hoefer is president & CEO of the Empire Center for Public Policy.

Read more by Tim Hoefer

You may also like

Opinion Poll – Education

Executive Summary New Yorkers want better educational outcomes, more flexibility for families, and meaningful academic standards, according to new Empire Center poll results. Voters overwhelmingly believe New York should improve s Read More

Empire Center Poll: Just 4 Percent Approve of New York’s Education System

ALBANY, N.Y. — New Yorkers gave the state’s education system a sweeping vote of no confidence: 47 percent said the state should improve student performance, 41 percent said it should improve performance while spending less, and only 4 Read More

New York Schools will Spend More and Deliver Less – Again

As voters across New York head to the polls to decide their local school budgets, the big question – why New York schools deliver poor results despite spending the most in the nation – is barely on anyone’s mind. New York’s fourth-grade and eig Read More

Giving Families an Escape Hatch from NYC Public Schools

Zohran Mamdani's stunning election as mayor of New York City marks a watershed moment for the Empire State. As a self-described democratic socialist and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani rode a wave of pr Read More

New York’s Education Shows Improvement, but Questions Remain

In the effort to improve transparency and accountability of New York’s education system, the Empire Center has sys Read More

How New York State Compares to Other States in Education (2022-23)

K-12 SOS is a pilot project of the Empire Center to inform parents, politicians, and decision-makers about the state of K-12 education in New York State. Determining why certain schools perform better than others is beyond the scope of this research. Read More

K-12 SOS Binghamton City School District

K-12 SOS is a pilot project of the Empire Center to inform parents, politicians, and decision-makers about the state of K-12 education in New York State. Determining why certain schools perform better than others is beyond the scope of this research. Read More

K-12 SOS. Syracuse City School District

K-12 SOS is a pilot project of the Empire Center to inform parents, politicians, and decision-makers about the state of K-12 education in New York State. Determining why certain schools perform better than others is beyond the scope of this research. Read More