At the moment New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has one eye trained on Washington and a potential presidential run. Much of what Cuomo does these days is actually about developing his national brand. The brand he wants is to be called a progressive. Cuomo is obsessed with the word. It is, after all, a rising tide for Democrats nationally.
He frequently refers to New York under his leadership as a “progressive beacon” for the nation and has repeatedly compared his policies to those of Bernie Sanders.
The fundamental value of progressives is fairness for low income people, working people and people of color, which is why it’s been politically popular in trying times when people want dramatic change like during the Great Depression and the civil rights, women’s and Anti-war movements. Now, as the economic stranglehold of the one percent crushes opportunities for many Americans, it’s no wonder Cuomo wants to brand himself as leading the progressive political parade.
But is his branding real or just political spin?
We don’t need to look any further than this year’s state budget for the answer.
His signature budget item was the Excelsior scholarship program enacted with much fanfare and raising the promise of free college for all New Yorkers.
Sounds great. So why did the editorial board of the New York Times and other media outlets lambast it?
Because Cuomo’s free college plan fails on the most basic test: Fairness.
It pays for tuition for middle class and upper middle class families, but does nothing for economically disadvantaged students. By denying these students funding for books, fees, and housing Cuomo guarantees that large numbers will continue to not graduate from college.
How about public schools? Governor Cuomo has consistently failed to fairly and adequately fund our K to 12 schools in defiance of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity school funding lawsuit settlement. By law our public schools are owed $4.3 billion. This year Cuomo actually tried to repeal the state’s debt to our public school students. Most of this money is owed to black and brown students, English language learners and economically disadvantaged students. Without this funding low income students across the state will be shortchanged in art, school libraries and summer school, Yonkers will continue to have one guidance counsellor for every 750 students, from New York City to Utica over 30 students will be crammed into one classroom, and in Syracuse and Schenectady there will be a shortage of teachers for growing numbers of English language learners.
During budget negotiations the State Assembly tried to add more money for public schools, but Cuomo pushed to divert money into privately-run charter schools instead. Cuomo and his allies, the pro-Trump Senate Republicans and the turncoat Independent Democrats, did so at the bidding of Wall Street hedge fund managers who invest in both charter schools and political campaigns. It was Albany pay-to-play politics at its worst.
The very same students who are left out of Cuomo’s college scholarship program are shortchanged by his penny pinching for our neediest public schools.
And how could New York State pay for educational opportunity for all?
We could invest another $2 billion annually if Governor Cuomo would support fair taxation for the rich. This is not a new tax, it is just a matter of restoring the tax rates for millionaires and billionaires that Andrew Cuomo cut when he became governor. It’s called progressive taxation, but this year Cuomo opposed a State Assembly plan to do just that. Cuomo could also end the sweetheart deal which allows billionaire hedge fund managers to pay much lower income tax rates than the rest of us.
Of course … many of these people are his biggest campaign donors.
Andrew Cuomo may want the brand of being a progressive, but Republican-style fiscal policies mean he’ll never earn it. Skimping on the education of our neediest children and young adults, while cutting tax rates for millionaires and billionaires is simply unfair. Trying to sell it as progressive is nothing but phony political spin.
Billy Easton is the Executive Director of the Alliance for Quality Education - A statewide coalition of 230 parent and community organizations committed to quality education for every child in New York.
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