There is good evidence that just spending more money is not the answer. Things got so bad the state took control of the city's schools in 1989. Unfortunately, not much has changed since then. Something did happen in May of 1993. Bret Schundler, a conservative Republican was elected mayor.
Parents can then choose which school to send their children to, public or private.
Just as voucher plans in Colorado and California attracted the attention of the NEA, so did this one. When it wants to, the NEA and its affiliates can play hardball with education reform initiatives. In 1992, when Californians were trying to get a voucher plan on the 1994 statewide ballot, the NEA pulled out all the stops. Most parents would find amazing this correlation between their right to choose their children's school and legalizing child prostitution. The NEA is very active in either controlling or defeating other less controversial reforms as well.