bal-pen3-150x150-8876164Who could be against “smart schools”? 

The answer: not nearly enough New Yorkers to defeat Proposal 3 on yesterday’s statewide ballot, which authorizes $2 billion in state borrowing to finance local school district purchases of computers and other classroom technology; expand schools’ high-speed and wireless Internet capacity; install “high-tech security features”; and build new classrooms for pre-kindergarten programs. 

The “Smart Schools Bond Act” emerged out of the blue in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address in January and was passed with little debate as part of the 2014-15 budget. Although the proposal was never embraced by the Board of Regents or by major public education groups, it was a centerpiece of Cuomo’s K-12 education agenda.

In the final weeks of the general election campaign, the state Democratic Committee sent out a statewide mailing promoting a “yes” vote on Proposal 3, which was also mentioned in at least one of the governor’s campaign commercials.  Just last week, it was disclosed that New York State United Teachers union had committed $200,000 to its own push for support of the bond proposal.

On the other side, the Empire Center led the way in calling for a “no” vote, explaining our position in articles and interviews linked on this website.  The Citizens Budget Commission issued a strong memo taking the same position.  At least 19 newspapers — including all of the state’s largest dailies except The New York Times (which had nothing to say on the subject) – published editorials in opposition to Proposal 3.

However, in the absence of a funded advertising campaign urging a “no” vote, the positive spin embedded in the ballot language apparently was enough to push Proposal 3 to passage by a 62-38 margin. (The borrowing was rejected in 20 out of 62 counties, all upstate.)

As a result of yesterday’s vote:

  • New York State is likely to bump up against its statutory debt cap in three years, even though it has enormous infrastructure needs for which no source of financing has been clearly identified.
  • While rural and suburban school districts decide whether new technology is really among their priorities, New York City won’t hesitate to cash in on its $730 million share of the bond act to pay for pre-kindergarten space and portable classroom replacements.  (By the way, the city has a higher bond rating and much more borrowing capacity than the state, and school construction in the city is already heavily subsidized by state building aid.)

Now that the bond issue has been passed, the Empire Center will be monitoring its implementation.

About the Author

E.J. McMahon

Edmund J. McMahon is Empire Center's founder and a senior fellow.

Read more by E.J. McMahon

You may also like

Back to School: New York Style

Class is in session across the state, and things are messy (especially in New York City).  Read More

As migrants flow to NY, so does red ink 

The influx of foreign migrants to New York could cost the state $4.5 billion more than expected next year, Governor Hochul today warned.  Read More

Where are New York’s Test Results?

For the second year in a row, New York parents will receive their back-to-school shopping lists before their students' results on state assessments. and Read More

The Bill Arrives: NY Faces $9B Budget Gap Next Year 

New York’s outyear budget gaps, the shortfall between planned state expenses and state tax receipts over the next three years, has exploded to more than $36 billion, just-released documents show.  Read More

NY school spending again led US, hitting all-time high in 2020-21

Public elementary and secondary school spending in New York rose to $26,571 per pupil in 2020-21, according to the latest Census Bureau data Read More

A Tale of Two Levies

New York school districts are getting record levels of state aid. But how many are using it to cut taxes? Read More

Albany’s Belated Budget Binge 

State lawmakers have begun passing the bills necessary to implement the state budget for the fiscal year that began April 1. Read More

The moving goal post of “proficiency” 

It raises the question of whether Albany has, at any point, had an accurate picture of where the state’s 2.4 million students stand academically.  Read More

Empire Center Logo Enjoying our work? Sign up for email alerts on our latest news and research.
Together, we can make New York a better place to live and work!